Transformers: Technorganic
by T'Reilani
Summary: After years of searching, they've located the AllSpark. On, of all places, a tiny backwater planet called Earth. For the Autobot head tactician and scout commander, this proves to be more of a hassle than a blessing. Prowl/OC. Changes around the movie plot, and crosses over slightly with Star Trek. Extensive rewrite of the original Technorganic-verse story.
1. Chapter 1: Message

**A/N:** **This is a rewrite of my first-ever posted fanfiction, which I ended up reposting because by the time I'd gone through and edited it, I'd added another seven chapters and almost doubled the story length, not to mention changing half the plot and drastically altering the characterization. (That probably says a lot about how bad the original was…) It took a good five months and put everything else on hold, but as far as I'm concerned it's worth it to have my best writing up. This is how I originally envisioned the story, but I didn't have the experience or the ability to make it happen when I first wrote it. If you're curious as to what that looked like, check out **_**The Test**_**. I left it unedited so I could see how far I've come (and the original version of this will stay up until I finish posting this one).**

**Usual disclaimers: Riella belongs to me, Prowl's a composite of (canon) G1, IDW, and Animated Prowl, and everybody else is Hasbro-canon, although I did name a background human or two.**

**Warnings: Nothing out of the ordinary for my writing. There's a few additional swear words besides some from the original movie, violence from the POV of giant robots, and the odd sexual reference or hint. Plus, the plot basically revolves around a sort-of canon character who wasn't in the movie originally and a female OC, with hints of a Star Trek crossover later on. Avoid if that's not your cup of tea. If it is, enjoy!**

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_**Transformers: Technorganic**_

**Chapter 1: Message**

_Before time began, there was the Cube. We know not where it comes from, only that it holds the power to create worlds and fill them with life. That was how our race was born. For a time, we lived in harmony, but like all great power, some wanted it for good, others for evil. And so began the war - a war that ravaged our planet until it was consumed by death, and the Cube was lost to the far reaches of space. We scattered across the galaxy, hoping to find it and rebuild our home, searching every star, every world. And just when all hope seemed lost, message of a new discovery drew us to an unknown planet called Earth. But we were already too late…_

**Present Day: Earth**

For once, Tranquility, Nevada was living up to its name. The nighttime silence was broken only by crickets and the occasional car engine on main roads. It was, to the relief of the two figures in a shadowy back alley, almost the perfect night for stealth activity.

Stepping carefully out of the shadows, the woman made her way quickly away from the buildings and up a slight hill, pausing to glance back toward the dark alley occasionally. She was alone, but even in a crowd, she would have stood out, if only because she was significantly taller than the average woman (and, for that matter, man). At the moment, with the darkness highlighting the fact that her eyes all but glowed bright blue, and wearing a leather jacket despite the warm weather, she would attract immediate attention if anyone saw her.

When she reached the top of the hill, she stepped out of the dim glow of the streetlights again, checking around once again for anyone watching. Flicking a few stray blond hairs back toward her ponytail, she touched one finger to the comm activator on her temple, muttering, "Blasted signal. Do you read?" She tilted her head to listen, remaining perfectly still otherwise, until the message came through. "Acknowledged. What is your location?"

Rather than an audible response, she received a set of coordinates, and nodded reflexively. "Copy that. These are the coordinates of a junkyard approximately halfway between our locations. Meet us there in half a standard hour."

Without waiting for a response, she walked back down the hill briskly, ducking back into the shadows and rejoining the all-but-invisible black and gold motorcycle parked around the corner. Its engine rumbled to life the second she settled onto the seat, the sound abnormally muted, and pulled out of the shadows into a narrow back alley.

The rider didn't speak again, or appear to react to anything other than the motorcycle's movements, until they came to a stop just outside of the local junkyard's fence. After a quick moment of looking around and fiddling with a small scanner, she slid off the bike and tapped a fingernail on the scratched windshield. "Clear."

The motorcycle's engine clicked and growled softly, and the entire vehicle shifted and reformed, straightening up until it was visibly no longer a motorcycle but a black and gold robot who stood slightly over sixteen feet tall. Reaching down with one dent-scarred hand, it lifted the woman onto its shoulder, carefully stepped over the fence, and set her down on the other side. It only took the robot a few steps to reach the center of the junkyard, where it settled into a sitting position, almost hidden by nearby piles of scrap metal. The woman climbed up onto its knee, curling in close to the robot's chest and glancing back the way they'd come again.

Touching her back with one hand, the robot spoke quietly in a metallic but distinctly masculine voice. "Riella. Talk to me. What's wrong? You seem…uncomfortable with this planet."

Riella responded just as quietly. "Prowl, I told you that I have this under control. I am as capable of completing this mission as any 'bot – more so, most likely."

"Of course." Prowl nodded and let his hand rest on her shoulder, almost covering her back and arm entirely. "I didn't mean to imply that you were incapable. You _are _on edge; I wondered why."

"I understand." Riella relaxed into the touch. "I can honestly say the discomfort comes mostly from unfamiliarity. Being in organic mode exclusively is quite an adjustment. For both of us, I've noticed."

"And here I thought I was being subtle." Prowl smiled faintly before straightening up at the sound of a car engine. _Incoming,_ he added over the bond. Riella shook her head, hiding her own smile. She'd always preferred bond communication to verbal, and after the three years they'd spent almost entirely out of contact from the rest of the Autobots, speaking out loud felt like relearning a second language.

Reluctantly, she slid off Prowl's knee so he could stand up, watching the battered yellow Camaro rattle through the junkyard gates and transform into a robot close to Prowl's height. Riella allowed herself to smile openly, reaching up to brush her hand against his. "Good to see you again, Bee."

Bumblebee looked down at her, faceplates curving into a smile, and a response played softly from his radio. **Been a long, long time. **Riella didn't recognize the sound clip, but appreciated the creativity.

"You've made contact with the human and located the coordinates to the AllSpark?" Prowl half-smiled at Bumblebee, but didn't waste time on greetings.

Bumblebee made a slight chirping noise, and nodded.

"Good. Message transmission activating in five." _Riella, can you keep your scanners running? This is an open comm and I would rather not be caught off guard._

"Affirmative," Riella said calmly, adding _Remember Bee can't hear you this way_. Long-range communication units hummed above her head, lights glowing on the clouds above, as the message activated. _**AllSpark located. Autobots follow coordinates to planet Earth.**_

Trying not to worry about how obvious the message was, Riella adjusted her local scan to register organic life-forms as well as robotic. It picked up two dogs, several humans too far away to be a threat - and then one human, far closer.

"Bumblebee!" she snapped quietly. "Did you remember to locate your human _before_ rendezvous?"

The message flickered and died as both mechs followed her line of sight to the young human male crouched behind a half-crushed car, whispering frantically into a cellphone. Riella sighed. _Oh, this is exactly what we need.._. As if that wasn't enough, the moment he saw them, he bolted, sprinting out of the junkyard toward the guard dogs Riella had sensed earlier.

_Oh, wonderful. _Prowl shook his head in frustration. "Bumblebee, divide and conquer. Holoform time. Bring him home if you can, but do _not _break cover. Contact us again after you do that. Riella, help me with the message. That wasn't enough transmission time."

Bumblebee acknowledged and sped off. Riella moved over to Prowl's side and placed a hand on his leg, channeling the message into her comm system and taking Bumblebee's place in the message transferal._ How much do you think the human understands?_

_Hopefully, very little. _Prowl looked up at the clouds, watching the symbol reflect back down toward them. _We can only hope it won't matter._


	2. Chapter 2: Attack

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who reviewed, followed, or favorited – I'm so glad you guys like this so far! I had a lot of fun with this story, and I'm always excited when someone enjoys it.**

**Chapter 2: Attack**

As of the next morning, there was still no contact from either their allies or Bumblebee, and Riella had decided to label her current status as 'bored'. There were only so many times she could run probability calculations, and taking shelter under Prowl's hologram generator didn't allow for much movement.

"As far as I've managed to work out, someone should arrive by 12:00 tonight." Riella glanced up at the sky, slightly filtered by the color of the hologram. "Sooner if they were close to a working space bridge."

Prowl nodded distractedly and touched a finger to his comlink activator. _Riella, check your comm._

Riella arched one eyebrow._ Remember to talk, Prowl. No one is around and we need to get back in the habit. _ "Is there a problem?" She activated her own comm. "No incoming signals. No signals at all."

"Which is what concerns me. Bumblebee was supposed to contact us with a rendezvous. I'm not comfortable with how long this is taking."

"Give him time. The human may have been uncooperative." Riella frowned. "We could always track him down, if you're as bored as I am."

"Possibly more so." Prowl shrugged and settled back on the ground, adjusting the hologram. "It couldn't hurt, but as usual you will have to handle any organic interaction. Worth the annoyance, in your opinion?"

Riella tilted her head for a moment and debated. "Let's go."

As they entered the town, Prowl now in his motorcycle mode, Riella discreetly scanned the area. In vehicle mode, Prowl could hear her but not respond, so she resorted back to the bond automatically. _I'm picking up Bee's signal. He appears to be moving toward the junkyard sector. Should I contact him?_

_Yes, go ahead._ Prowl pulled over to the side of the street and parked, turning off his engine. _Ask him what happened last night. His report only told us that the Witwicky boy was back with his creators, and you know what minimal reports always mean._

_Yes, I do. And to organics, that would be 'parents'. _She raised a hand to her comm unit, after looking around to make sure no one was paying too much attention to her. Internal communications were not her preferred method, but talking out loud would definitely get her more attention than they wanted. ::Riella to Bumblebee. Come in.::

After a moment, the response came through. ::Bumblebee here.::

::Where are you?::

::At the moment, following Sam Witwicky through downtown.::

::What? Why?:: Riella looked down at Prowl. _Did you hear that?_

_Yes, I did. _ Prowl's comm clicked on. ::There had better be a good explanation for this, Bumblebee.::

::There is,:: the younger mech protested. ::He thinks I'm stalking him. He saw us last night.::

Riella shook her head. ::That's not an explanation. He thinks you're stalking him, so you're following him? Clarify how that makes sense under any circumstances.::

::I'm responsible for him. If he runs off and gets himself in trouble, it's my fault for letting him see us. I have to keep track of him.::

::I understand that, but _surely_ there was a less obvious way to - :: Before Riella could finish her reprimand, Prowl interrupted over the bond link. _We're attracting attention._

Sure enough, she'd finally stood perfectly still for long enough that several passers-by were looking sideways at her. One young man stopped beside her, looking slightly more concerned than necessary. "Miss, are you all right?"

Riella took her hand off the comlink and turned toward him, forcing a faint smile. "I'm fine, thank you. I was just trying to remember something. Sorry to bother you." She drew herself up slightly taller and looked pointedly past him until he shrugged, nodded, and left. With a sigh, Riella slid her leg back over the seat of Prowl's motorcycle mode. ::Bumblebee, we're setting a course to intercept you and him. Please notify us if he makes any abrupt direction changes.::

They were pulling out of the parking spot before his acknowledgement came through. ::Copy that.::

Prowl set a pace through the city that was pushing the limits of legality. Riella nearly scraped her knee on the pavement as they rounded a corner. _Prowl, is the speed really necessary? These are much tighter turns than Cybertronian cities._

_Our intercept course will take long enough to navigate at this speed, never mind lowering it. I can take turns more slowly, but the trade-off would be breaking the speed limit on straight stretches._

Riella sighed and tightened her grip on the handlebars, resigning herself to the speed. _I suppose I cannot object. Try not to spin out. I would survive a crash, but injuries will not help us at the moment._

Even going the maximum legal speed (and occasionally passing it), it was well after noon before Riella picked up Bumblebee's energy signal as well as his tracker. She and Prowl were built for tactics and scouting, but human city navigation was still frustrating and rarely successful. _I have Bumblebee's signal, closing fast. I'm also getting a second signal…Prowl! We've got -_

She didn't have time to tell him to stop and hang back before they turned the corner and crashed head-on into solid metal.

Riella was jolted off the seat by the collision and thrown over the object they'd crashed into before slamming into the concrete, scraping her face painfully. She rolled and tumbled, managing to turn so that she was facing back the way they'd come, and jammed her elbow into the concrete to stop her slide. Prowl skidded off in the other direction, leaving streaks of black paint on the pavement and stopping rather abruptly against the side of a building.

Shaking her head, Riella pushed herself upright, ignoring the slight pain from scrapes and bruises. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of two humans - Sam Witwicky and a dark-haired female - staring at her in shock, but her attention was almost immediately locked onto the cause of the collision. The bulky black and white Cybertronian had been knocked off balance by the impact, but was already back upright and stable, red optics fixed on Riella in a death glare. Her eyes narrowed in recognition and she took a quick step forward, green blood trickling down her face from a slight cut on her left cheek.

"Barricade. You really do have a death wish, don't you?"

Barricade moved toward her, snarling down from twenty feet up. "Back off, femme. The boy is mine."

"Not from where I stand." Riella kept her voice as calm as possible while practically screaming over the bond. _Prowl! Get up! I can't take him alone and keep them safe at the same time!_

Her attention jerked back to Barricade, whose rotating blade was already swinging down toward her head. She ducked and flipped backward, barely avoiding it. A few quick movements ripped off her torn jacket and gloves, getting them out of the way before activating the battle-blades in her forearms. One of the humans made a shocked sound, which Riella had mostly expected – after all, she _had _just revealed blue metal arms and blades that extended two feet beyond each hand – but she didn't have the time or the spare energy to activate holograms. Barricade's blade came down fast and hard. She just managed to catch it and sidestep, deflecting it down into the concrete. Shocks ran up her arm. Her organic mode wasn't strong enough to take a direct hit.

_But my transformation will ensure the humans never come near us again. As long as Prowl gets moving - _

She dodged another swipe from Barricade and spun to give her strike more power, aiming for the cables in his lower leg. He saw it coming, and she barely managed to backflip away from his kick in time. Her right blade still connected, but not hard enough to do any damage.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Prowl transform, sensing his battle computer coming online through the link. They didn't need to communicate; she had been with him long enough to know exactly what he had in mind. Backflipping again and landing on top of a wrecked human car, she deflected another blow, with the other blade this time. She and Prowl started the mental countdown simultaneously. _Five, four…_

Barricade slammed a fist down toward Riella, smashing a hole in the concrete. _Three, two... _Riella took a quick step back, then tucked her head down and front-flipped off the car, landing in a tumbling roll and coming up on her feet well away from her opponent. _Go!_

Prowl hit Barricade from the back hard enough to send him crashing to the ground, doorwings rattling and scraping on concrete. Before the Decepticon could recover, Prowl slammed down on top of him, jabbing one elbow into the bigger mech's neck and twisting Barricade's right arm into a savage hammerlock.

Riella took the opportunity to turn to the two humans, who were staring at her and the battling robots with wide, terrified eyes. "Why are you still here? Run! Go! We were never his targets - you're still in danger!"

The boy stammered. "What...who..." Before he finished, his eyes got even wider, and he pointed over Riella's shoulder, screaming, "Look out!"

Without stopping to think, Riella dived and rolled, hitting the concrete hard. The ground shuddered as a metal fist slammed into the ground right where she had been standing, sending her rolling a few more feet. She looked up, automatically searching for her mate. _Prowl!_

_I'm alright. _Prowl was already struggling back to his feet, shaking off debris from the brick wall he'd clearly been thrown into. Riella didn't have time to check on him – Barricade moved too fast, blade humming through the air inches above her head and forcing her to drop to the ground again. _Scrap!_

Before Barricade had time to go after either Autobot again, screeching tires signaled the arrival of backup seconds before a battered yellow Camaro smashed into Barricade's legs and sent him sprawling. Bumblebee slammed on the brakes, turned, and stopped next to the humans, his passenger door flying open.

"Get them out of here!" Riella snapped. Without waiting to make sure – she knew Bumblebee would obey orders - she pushed herself upright and sprinted toward Barricade again, reestablishing her link with Prowl. _Humans are clear. Go!_

Barricade launched himself into Prowl, full-body slamming into the smaller mech and sending them both crashing to the ground. Riella felt a sharp stab of pain as something crunched in Prowl's chest – _not good, that's in a fairly important location - _and threw herself back into the fight with a shout in Cybertronian. Her blade connected, slicing through half-a-dozen cables in Barricade's left ankle and drawing his attention. The 'Con roared in fury and spun around, almost smacking her with a vicious backhand and forcing her to back up. The moment Barricade was distracted, Prowl hit him with a solid kick to the midsection, throwing the larger Decepticon off of him and getting back on his feet in one motion. Barricade looked from Prowl to Riella, snarled a curse, and transformed (rather roughly, given the cables still trailing from one rear wheel and the screech of metal) before racing off into the distance.

Riella looked after him, made a quick decision, and ran to her mate's side instead. _How bad is it? _Prowl was clearly in pain, wincing and leaning one hand against the nearest building for support. _Can you move? He went after Bumblebee - _

Prowl shook his head rapidly, optics flickering. _Can't transform. That last hit took out my transform circuits. Can you - _

_\- I'll try. Get down so I can reach. _Prowl obligingly knelt, covering both of them with a shaky hologram, and opened the plating over the affected circuitry. Riella pushed him back slightly until she could look down at the injury. _Stay still. I'll do what I can. Keep the hologram up._


	3. Chapter 3: Arrival

**A/N: As usual, guys, reviews, follows, and favorites are appreciated! Although, anon, would you mind specifying what the issue was, if anything? I know the first couple of chapters are a little weak (I didn't really decide to go "screw canon, I'm changing the movie plotline" until about chapter 5 or 6), but there's not much in your review to go on other than that you didn't like it.**

**Chapter 3: Arrival**

Riella quickly unsubspaced her medi-kit, trying not to make too much noise, and glanced down the alley to make sure they were alone before leaning over Prowl's chest to look at the circuitry. She resisted the urge to swear at the sight of the damage. _That's a lot of torn wires. This could take a while. How much pain are you in?_

_Enough._ Prowl stifled a wince when she touched the wires. _Is there much damage?_

_More than I expected and more than can be left to self-repairs. _Riella flicked the tiny welder on and carefully lined the wires up. _Tell me if it hurts too much to stay still. I might still have enough battery power left in the EMP generator to numb the wires._

_I can manage. Don't worry about me._ Prowl brushed a finger across her back with a faint smile. _I've had worse._

_I know. Now be quiet and let me focus._

To Riella's frustration, it took her almost an hour to finish, between the difficulty of the job and the need to be quiet if any human came near. _That's it. You should have full ability back, but you might be sore for a while. _

_Thanks for the warning. _Prowl sat up slowly and winced. _Ah. Tiny circuits, strong connection to the sensory net._

Riella arched an eyebrow at him. _Complaining? We do not have time for that._

_Agreed._ Prowl transformed, slower than normal, and let his engine hum pointedly. _We need to report to the rendezvous point. This has taken too long already, and it's getting dark early. Our orders were to report immediately so they can track our signal in._

_What? _Riella stared at him in shock. _Prowl, Barricade was not seriously injured. He remains a significant threat. Bumblebee – _

_Can handle this, _Prowl reminded her quietly. _He's made for guarding and front-line fighting, Riella, unlike you and I. He will be fine. _The motorcycle nudged gently but firmly against her thigh, pushing her a step or two over._ I will not make it an order, but we need to go._

…_Have I mentioned how frustrating I find it that you are my commanding officer? _Riella sighed and got on the motorcycle. _I do _not _like leaving him on his own._

_Not in a few stellar cycles. I was starting to wonder. _Prowl sent a quick flash of amusement over the bond and accelerated slowly, making sure she was paying enough attention to not slip off. _I am not happy with this either, believe me, but the mission is more important than our personal feelings. Remember, the needs of the many -_

_I know, I know. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. That does not mean I have to like this. He's the only one we've managed to find again since the AllSpark was lost and we were scattered to the stars. _She shook her head slowly. _The Autobots have been separated for too long. _

_Riella... _She could feel his empathy over the bond, minds touching in a brief moment of comfort. _I know. Believe me, I know. It hurts me as well. I promise you, we will find them all one day._

Riella sighed and patted the side of the motorcycle just below the handlebars, in the place that corresponded to his shoulder in robot mode. _Thank you. _She forced a faint smile and added, _We have each other. You are enough for me._

_As are you. _Prowl's engine hummed lightly, comforting emotions reaching out from his spark to hers. _Our exile is almost over. The AllSpark is located._

They didn't speak again until they reached the center of the city, by which point it was just dark enough for stars to show far above. They parked outside City Hall to wait, and Riella took the moment to stare off toward the star she knew to be Cybertron's sun. _Long way from home._

Before Prowl could respond, a signal popped up in Riella's heads-up display, and a neon yellow Camaro turned a corner fifty yards down the street. With a sigh of relief, Riella stood up to get a better look, making sure it was in fact Bumblebee. _Looks like someone upgraded._

_I noticed. Quite the step up. Someone's tired of undercover, it would seem._

Riella leaned back against Prowl and studied the approaching Camaro with interest. ::I'm glad you're alright, Bumblebee, but why the alt-mode change?::

::Sam and Mikaela thought the first one was 'a piece of crap'.:: Riella was pretty sure the young Autobot would have been blushing in robot mode. ::I saw this one, and, well…::

Even without seeing his face, Riella could just picture Prowl's raised eyebrow ridge. ::Mikaela?::

::Sam's girlfriend::

_That explains the female,_ Prowl commented dryly over the bond. _Primus, he's more than interested. Her behavior may indicate reciprocation, but scans are extremely unclear._

Riella laughed internally. _That would be why I don't scan humans. I have enough trouble understanding them without throwing biological reactions into the information._

Bumblebee pulled up beside them and let the two humans Riella had seen before – _Sam and Mikaela, they have names, use them,_ she reminded herself quickly. Sam stared at Riella and took a step back. "Um...don't take this the wrong way, but who the _hell _are you?"

_Interesting._ Riella pushed her hair back behind elegantly pointed ears – the rubber band holding it out of her face had broken during the earlier fight – and tried to look reassuring. She had the distinct impression it wasn't working. "My name is Riella. This -" she gestured to the motorcycle, "is Prowl. He would introduce himself, but transforming would undoubtedly attract the attention we plan to avoid." Talking still felt odd. She was going to have to break that habit of bond-speaking exclusively on missions.

"So...it's...he's...some kind of robot? What, are you some kind of aliens or something?" Mikaela pointed to Bumblebee. "He said…at least I think that's what he meant."

"And then there was all that stuff last night, what was that?" Sam added. "Like, a message or something?"

_Yes…_Riella started, realized what she was doing, and repeated herself out loud. "Yes." She was prepared to explain, but before she could start, familiar signals replayed over her long-range comm system, and her scanner picked up the crash of Cybertronian metal hitting atmosphere thousands of miles above her. She looked up sharply, searching for the long-awaited sight; protoform spheres, dropping through the atmosphere at high speed. The flames surrounding each one made for quite the dramatic view. "It would appear to have had the desired effect." Relief and excitement mingled over the bond as Prowl ran the same scan. _Finally! It's been far too long._

_Can you tell who? _Organic mode tended to mute Riella's long-range scanner, much to her annoyance.

_Prime for sure, and Jazz. No verdict on the other two. Watch the humans – we've got a landing just half a mile south. Open field. I think Prime, but there's another a mile west that could be his signal too. _Before Prowl had even finished his sentence, the nearest sphere hit the ground, and Sam and Mikaela took off running. ::Really? _Really? _Humans,:: she snapped over the comm, making sure Bumblebee could hear her too. With a barely-stifled sigh, the technorganic followed, angling off on an intercept course. _Prowl, can you make contact? _

_Already trying. _

Riella caught up with the humans and managed to block their path, just seconds before the sphere unfolded. The silver robot turned toward them, blue optics locking with Riella's, and she raised her hand in acknowledgement and recognition. A few simple instructions registered over the comlink, in Cybertronian.

::Copy that, sir.:: _Prowl, you were right – I have contact with Prime. We have our orders. Rendezvous in ten. _Her attention snapped back to the humans, still trying to get closer to the Autobot in the field. "No. Not yet."

"But – "

"Wait," Riella cut in sternly. "We need to get you back to Bumblebee and to the rendezvous point. Being out in the open is dangerous."

To her internal relief, they obeyed, hurrying back to the other two waiting Autobots. Bumblebee opened his passenger-side door, and Riella gestured for them to get in. After a moment of hesitating, Sam got in, but Mikaela looked back at Riella. "Aren't you coming?"

"I have my own ride." Riella rested one hand fondly on Prowl's windshield, allowing herself a slight smile. "We'll be right behind you." Over the comm link, she added, ::Bumblebee, these coordinates are for a secluded location approximately the same distance from all of the arrivals. Ten minutes.::


	4. Chapter 4: Rendezvous

**A/N: My best summary for this chapter is "Optimus versus the peanut gallery". I don't know. I thought it was funny.**

**As usual, if you reviewed, followed, or favorited, thank you! The encouragement is much appreciated!**

**Chapter 4: Rendezvous**

Her calculations were good, Riella noted with a touch of pride; it was almost exactly ten minutes' drive to the rendezvous point, which was a dark, empty alley that Prowl had chosen precisely because of its out-of-the-way quality. They barely had time to pull to a stop before the crunch of tires on broken concrete and the flash of headlights announced that the other four had arrived.

Riella's eyes lit up and she couldn't hide a smile when she recognized the first arrival: a green and gold modified Hummer, with a familiar symbol on one side. _Prowl – _

_I saw._ Prowl transformed in one rapid movement, optics locking on to the silver Pontiac Solstice and black GMC Topkick. _Almost everyone I would have picked. Prime made a good call._

The final vehicle – a Peterbilt 379 semi-truck with a strong resemblance to Optimus's original Cybertronian vehicle - transformed, taking an extra few seconds to adjust to the new format. The rest of the new arrivals followed suit, along with Bumblebee, but Riella opted to stay in organic mode for now. Again, no need to terrify the poor humans any more. "Welcome to Earth, Prime."

Prime nodded to her, and by extension Prowl. "Thank you, all of you." He bent down to look at the two humans. "And are you Samuel James Witwicky, descendant of Archibald Witwicky?"

"They know your name!" Mikaela whispered, almost too quietly to be heard. _No, that was a lucky guess,_ Prowl commented dryly, over the bond instead of out loud as he'd apparently intended. Riella smirked. Optimus glanced at them with a slightly raised eyebrow ridge, an expression that probably meant he didn't have to hear the comment to know it had been made, and continued addressing the humans.

"My name is Optimus Prime. We are Autonomous Robotic Organisms from the planet Cybertron."

"But you can call us Autobots for short," the Hummer – Ratchet – added, nodding to the humans before looking down at Riella with a faint smile. "It's good to see you again. I expect a full summary of the last few years, when we have time."

"Why wait? We got time now. What's cracking, little bitches?" Jazz, whose Solstice alt-mode left him barely a foot taller than Prowl, backflipped neatly onto the top of a parked car, nearly crushing the hood. "This looks like a cool place to kick it."

Optimus might have rolled his optics, just slightly. It was hard to tell. "My first lieutenant, Jazz."

Prowl's optic roll, on the other hand, was very obvious. ::Oh, for Primus's sake, Jazz. I have enough trouble understanding when you use Cybertronian slang. Do you have to add Earth profanity to your vocabulary? And for your information, 'bitch' is not a term of affection, generally speaking.::

::Really? 'R you sure? Gets used all the time.:: Jazz tilted his head and looked at Prowl with an expression of mock innocence, ignoring the continued conversation between Optimus and the humans.

::I paid enough attention to know the actual meaning of a word I don't plan to use, Jazz. Of _course_ I'm sure.::

Riella arched one eyebrow. ::And I thought you and I were supposed to be the old married couple, Prowl.::

"My weapons specialist, Ironhide," Optimus continued, directing a stern glare at the trio. ::That's enough, you three.::

Ironhide's cannons spun and charged with a hum as the humans turned to look at him. "You feelin' lucky, punk?" Prowl and Riella grimaced simultaneously at the reference.

"Easy, Ironhide," Optimus warned, clearly not getting it. The humans might have understood – it wasn't clear – but Sam looked rather like he wanted to hide under Bumblebee.

"Just kiddin'." The weapons specialist looked slightly crestfallen. "I just wanted to show him my cannons."

::Surrrrre you did,:: Jazz remarked dryly, still over the open comm line. ::No intimidation here, no sir.::

"My medical officer, Ratchet." Optimus pointed to the medic, with another annoyed glance at Jazz and the dry comment, ::Could you please refrain from commentary for at least five minutes?::

"So these are humans. Teenagers, apparently physically average for age and size…" Ratchet's optics flickered slightly as he scanned the two humans for any anomalies. "Hmm. The boy's pheromone level suggests he wants to mate with the female. Fascinating."

"Ratchet…" Riella fought back a snicker and shook her head at him. "_No._" Over a private line, she added, ::Believe me when I tell you that won't go over well on a human planet. Do you remember my early years? Humans are much less open.::

::That's not the impression I formed,:: Ratchet responded coolly.

Riella sighed and leaned back against Prowl's leg. ::Ratchet. The Internet is quite possibly the worst way to learn about human sexuality. Trust me on that.::

_I notice he didn't say what Mikaela's pheromones are indicating. _Prowl's amusement was obvious even outside the bond. _Good reason, or common sense?_

_None of your business,_ Riella shot back affectionately. _And don't you dare say that over the open comm, or Jazz will have a field day with it._

Ratchet looked like he was building up quite the retort – about humans, the internet, Riella, or all three - but before he could actually say anything, Optimus pointedly moved on with the introductions. "You already know my tactician and scout commander, Prowl and Riella, and your guardian, Bumblebee."

"So you're my guardian, huh?" Sam looked up at Bumblebee, who was doing a few dance steps as his radio played. **Check on the rep, yep, second to none. **Riella smiled a bit at the dance and the song choice, but the human didn't. "Um, why can't you…when they can…"

"His vocal processors were damaged in battle." Ratchet pointed a small laser charge at Bumblebee's throat to check his status, causing the smaller Autobot to turn away in protest and cough. "I'm still working on them."

"Why are you here?" Riella glanced at Mikaela in surprise, wondering if her initial impression of the girl as quiet and uncertain had been correct. Her question showed quite a bit more common sense than Riella had expected.

"We are here looking for the AllSpark. And we must find it before Megatron." Optimus crouched to get a better look at the humans.

"Mega-what?" Sam looked utterly confused. Prowl raised an eyebrow ridge.

::Was the pronunciation unclear? Perhaps you should speak louder.::

::I believe I made a request for no further commentary, Prowl.:: Without looking in their direction, Optimus activated his hologram projector and began explaining. "Our planet was once a powerful empire, peaceful and just. Until we were betrayed by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons..."

Shaking her head at her mate, Riella placed a hand on Ratchet's leg and looked up at Ironhide. "Not precisely the welcome I imagined, but I'm glad to have you here on Earth. You have no idea how good it is to see all of you again."

"Been too long," Ironhide growled in agreement. "Prowl, what've you been up to, blastin' 'Cons and kickin' aft while the rest of us were stuck searchin' the galaxy?"

"As if." Prowl's visor flickered a shade lighter. "Today's run-in with Barricade was the first sighting in half a year. Could have used you as backup, though. Urban combat, close quarters."

"Hope you taught him who's boss."

Prowl shrugged. "For the most part. He ended up running with a few severed cables in one leg and a lot of dents."

"He got away from you!" Ironhide barked out a laugh. "Losing your touch, are you?"

Prowl glared at the larger 'bot. "He took out my transform circuits! What was I supposed to do, chase him through a crowded city on foot? Besides, there were humans involved…"

Riella sighed and turned to Jazz and Ratchet, leaving her partner and Ironhide to argue. "Primus, some things never change. How was the trip down?"

"Dull. Y'know, nothin' but space." Jazz sighed, but brightened almost immediately. "Ya diggin' this planet or what? Everythin' available over that Internet, and humans…seriously, Primus, it's weird, but there's way more than you ever mentioned. How come?"

Riella climbed up onto the car to sit next to him. "I am hardly an expert on humanity. I am not one, remember? I have never been to this planet before. I will admit it's...fascinating. Of course, some things I honestly didn't _want_ to know."

Ratchet snorted. "That makes two of us. Are you all right? No injuries, mechanical problems, recent emergencies? If you were in a fight with Barricade today…"

"Nothing serious," Riella assured him. "A couple of scrapes from falling on the concrete, but he never touched me. Prowl got the worst of it, and it wasn't bad, relatively speaking. We were not his targets."

"Never thought 'Cade would pass up a chance to take out a couple of 'bots," Jazz commented. "Gettin' soft?"

"I doubt it. He was after the humans. Apparently the Decepticons know about the glasses with the coordinates, or at least they've made the connection between Archibald Witwicky and his great-grandson." Riella turned her attention back to Optimus just in time for the explanation to finish.

"...they will use its power to transform Earth's machines and build a new army."

"Which will have the unpleasant side effect of exterminating the human race," Prowl added, unnecessarily. Sam gulped, and Mikaela turned to stare wide-eyed at him.

"Please tell me that you have those glasses."

Riella arched an eyebrow. "Was it ever in question? We wouldn't be anywhere near you if he did not have them."


	5. Chapter 5: Search

**A/N: Posting this and chapter 6 at the same time since they should technically be one chapter based off the events, but the combination was double the length of any previous chapters. As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited – the feedback is definitely appreciated!**

**Chapter 5: Search**

It wasn't a long drive to the Witwicky home, at least with the route Prowl had chosen, but it was more than long enough for Optimus's "stay together" policy to start grating on Riella's nerves. Most of their vehicle modes would have stood out by themselves in a residential area, never mind the stares they were getting as a group. Prowl agreed that they should split up, repeatedly pointing out the dangers of being identified; Optimus and Jazz, however, had overruled their objections, insisting that 'undercover' was a relative term on an alien planet. So, reluctantly, the duo had fallen into position with the group.

Sam was practically out of Bumblebee's door before they'd come to a complete stop, rattling off nervous orders to no one in particular. "They gotta – they gotta stay here, okay? They gotta stay here and you have to watch them."

_I am not sparkling-sitting Optimus Prime and Ironhide,_ Prowl grumbled, with what would have been a glare in robot mode. Riella rolled her eyes. _I think he was talking to Mikaela. Though I don't see her being up for the job either._

"All of them, you hear what I'm saying?" Sam looked nervously at Riella, who arched an eyebrow in an expression that wasn't intended to be entirely sarcastic but probably came off that way.

"Yeah, okay," Mikaela snapped impatiently. "Go!"

"Five minutes, alright?" As Sam took off running, Riella caught a brief glimpse of his father in the back yard and grimaced. _We're going to have to deal with the parents at some point. He does know that, right? _Prowl sounded as frustrated as Riella was starting to be.

"We need to hurry. This is taking too long." Riella spun around at the comment from her leader, but was too late to stop Optimus from transforming and starting toward the fence.

"No, don't!" Mikaela ducked under Bumblebee's arm and called nervously after him. "Wait! Hang on! You have to...oh, God."

Riella sighed as the familiar hum of transformation circuitry surrounded her. "No one was listening."

Optimus had already stepped over the bushes into the back yard, and Bumblebee was pressed against the side of the house, gesturing for a horrified Sam to keep quiet. Riella glanced at Prowl, both of them sharing the same thought. _So much for stealth..._

Sam's father was nowhere to be seen, but Riella couldn't imagine that would last long. The human's voice managed to hit a rather impressive pitch for a human male, slightly too high for Riella's comfort. "What are you doing? What are you doing? No, watch the path, watch the path, please, please, please, no, wait, oh no!"

Optimus had already broken part of the path, and as he turned to face the boy, his foot landed on the fountain in the center of the yard, completely crushing it. "Oops. My bad."

If Sam hadn't been borderline incoherent before, he was now. "Oh, I - I can't - you couldn't - you couldn't wait for five minutes?!" His voice got higher and higher as he spoke. Riella turned her head away, covering one sensitive ear in annoyance. "I told you to just stay! Just stay! Gah!" He ran toward Mikaela and Riella, skidded to a stop, and spun around. _He has no idea where he's going,_ Prowl remarked dryly, ignoring the boy's rant. "I told you to watch them. I told you!"

Mikaela snapped back, "Well, okay, you know what, they seem to be in a little bit of a rush -"

Riella sighed. _I should not be the diplomat in this scenario. _"Please, calm down, Sam. Most of us are new to this planet, and..." She trailed off and winced at the high-pitched yipping sound coming from the house. It was distracting enough that she almost didn't notice the tiny animal it belonged to. "Is that a pet? You have a rodent?"

"What? _No_, I don't have a rat! Oh, this is bad..." Sam didn't notice either, until the animal in question started yipping at Riella and backing away. "Oh, crap – Mojo, no! Leave her alone!"

The animal, which on closer inspection resembled a dog, growled at Riella and kept backing up, until it bumped directly into Ironhide's foot. It promptly yelped, jumped away, and proceeded to urinate directly on the metal. Ironhide jerked his foot away with a grunt of disgust, and Jazz choked on laughter. Sam groaned and buried his face in his hands for a second. "Mojo! Mojo, off the robot! Gah!"

Ironhide lifted his foot, obviously intending to crush the little animal. Riella's eyes widened, but for once Sam reacted faster than she could, grabbing his pet and backing away. "Nononononono! Easy, easy, hold on! This is Mojo, this is Mojo. He's a pet of mine, he's a pet, okay, that's all!" Ironhide's cannons powered, and, if it were possible, Sam grew even more panicky. "No, just – put the guns away, okay? Put the guns away!"

"You have a rodent infestation," Ironhide pointed out with a growl. "Shall I terminate?"

"Ironhide, stand down." Prowl moved to intercept, shoving Ironhide's left cannon out of his way. "What part of 'undercover' do you not understand? Humans like pets. Even if they happen to be of the rodent family, apparently. Leave it alone."

"No! Nonono! He's not a rodent, he's a Chihuahua! This is my - this is my Chihuahua! We - we love Chihuahuas! Don't we?" Sam looked at Mikaela for help. Mikaela made a 'you're on your own' gesture, at which Riella and Ratchet both had to smirk.

Ironhide, for his part, ignored the human and shook Prowl off angrily. "Pet? It's a fragging biochemical weapon! It leaked lubricants all over my foot!"

"He - he peed on you?" Sam shook the tiny creature slightly. "Bad Mojo, bad Mojo!"

Ironhide raised an eyebrow and chimed in. "Bad Mojo!" Prowl and Riella exchanged amused glances. _Can I record this for future entertainment?_

_No, you cannot, _Riella scolded. _This is a serious mission. You can keep the audio file you already have, though._

Sam didn't put Mojo down, obviously recognizing the potential for further problems. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. It's – it's a male dominance issue, that's all."

Ironhide retracted his cannons, grumbling. "Male dominance? Sure, right, 'cause it wasn't running from Riella. You know that's gonna rust, right?"

"Not if you don't leave it," Ratchet chided. "Don't be so dramatic."

Ignoring the continued chatter and Sam's ineffective effort at shushing everyone in general, Jazz contacted Riella over the comm. ::Hey, what's a Chihuahua?::

::That animal, I would assume.:: Riella took a moment to look it up. ::A small canine breed, technically speaking.::

::_That_ is a dog?:: Ratchet looked down at Riella with a raised eyebrow ridge and a frown. ::Aren't they similar to canine-form symbiotes? That one has a strong resemblance to a rodent.::

Riella shrugged. ::Artificial selection at its finest? Don't look at me. I grew up with felines. Le-matya to be precise.::

"Autobots, _recon_. We _are _on a schedule." Optimus looked back at them in annoyance from the side of the house. "Can you debate the relative merits of your pets later?"

::Copy that, Prime. Sorry.:: Riella accepted Prowl's hand up and settled on his shoulder, looking down at the human house. ::Parents are in the front room, away from the windows. They appear distracted. Sam should be fine in his room as long as we give him space to work.::

_Right, that's going to happen,_ Prowl muttered over the bond. _Prime's on a mission and the human is uncooperative. I'm predicting roughly a minute before we send someone else in to look. _

_Well, you're not wrong,_ Riella commented, noting the Prime's clear impatience. Prowl was off by a few seconds – Optimus didn't make it a full minute before picking Mikaela up and lifting her toward the window. She gasped with shock, but didn't fall out of his hand or start screaming. Riella had to admit she had not expected quite so much composure.

"You can help him look." Optimus set Mikaela on Sam's windowsill, gesturing for her to climb through. "Time is short. Please hurry."

Prowl and Riella sighed simultaneously. Riella curled her hand around Prowl's shoulder fin. "Give them a moment, Prime. They are human children, not soldiers."

"I know." Optimus looked back at the duo with a faint shake of his head. "Which is exactly why time is so important. If the Decepticons were to track us here…"

_Which would be less of a possibility if you had listened to me in the first place and split up. _Riella shot Prowl a stern look at her mate's deadpan bond-comment, holding the glare until Prowl half-smirked, shook his head, and finished out loud. "Still, they need time. As long as we are here, they are in significantly less danger. We should fall back, remain hidden, and wait for them to find the glasses."

Optimus nodded slowly, acknowledging the point. "Very well. Autobots, transform."

Seconds later, Riella found herself staring at five large, brightly colored vehicles, none of which managed to blend into the suburban back yard. She slumped against Prowl's shoulder fin and rested her forehead in one hand as Prowl groaned. "Not precisely what I was suggesting, Prime."


	6. Chapter 6: Acceptable Risk

**A/N: There we go. Two chapters in five minutes for you. How's that for update time? Chapter 7 is where I start steering away from the movie storyline, so I wanted to get both of these up and finished.**

**Chapter 6: Acceptable Risk**

Sam's high-pitched voice cut through the quiet again, nearly sending Riella tumbling off Prowl's shoulder in surprise. "What? No, no, no! This isn't hiding. This is my backyard, not a truck stop!"

Optimus transformed again, starting back toward the window. This time Ratchet was the one to sigh over the comm line. ::Optimus, for Primus's sake_._..::

Sam ran back over to the window. "What now? I can't deal with this, I can't – oh, no, no, no…"

Optimus glanced down at what had been a window box and was now a shattered pile of splinters. "Oops."

"That's my mother's flowers! - Okay, listen. You gotta listen to me. If my parents come out here and see you they're going to freak out. My mother's got a temper. Okay?" Sam gestured incoherently to the group in the back yard, most of whom had already transformed back to robot mode. "Just – come on, guys, give me some space here, okay?"

"I understand, but we must have the glasses – "

"Prime!" Riella interrupted, frustrated. "This is _obviously _not helping. Can we please just – " When he didn't appear to be listening, she rolled her eyes and looked over at the one Autobot she knew could stare down Optimus Prime. "Ratchet, a little help here, please? We're going to wreck the house as well as Sam's nervous system at this rate. We need to pull back and give him time."

Ratchet shrugged, but before he could say anything, Optimus gave the order. "Autobots, fall back."

"Thank Primus." Riella slid down from Prowl's shoulder to balance on his arm as they moved back toward the fence, smiling slightly at the sound of Ratchet scolding Ironhide and Jazz.

"Move! What's the matter with you? Can't you be quiet? You heard them. We need to be _undercover._"

Prowl glanced back and froze, optics widening in alarm. "Ratchet, watch out for the - "

ZAP. CRASH. The ground shuddered under the weight of the fallen Autobot, and the lights in the houses flickered.

" - power lines."

The lights on Ratchet's chest flashed erratically. "Wow, that was tingly! Ohhh..." He tried to get up and fell back, tangled in the wires. "You'll have to try that!"

"Yeah, maybe sometime," Ironhide commented sarcastically, raising an eyebrow ridge. "You alright, doc bot?"

"Fine!" Ratchet tried to get up again, and the lights went out in every house on the block.

Optimus sighed and reached down to pull the medical officer to his feet. "More delays. Let's give them some light."

_I don't know that that's the best – _Riella sighed, realizing they weren't going to fall back any time soon, and climbed back up to Prowl's shoulder to point to the window. "Ratchet, shine a light through there. That should be enough for them to search."

Ratchet was apparently still a bit shaky, because the light bounced erratically around the room and the outside edge of the house. "Ratchet, point the light!" Jazz tried to help, and almost knocked the medic over.

"Okay, we got a major issue!" Sam was back at the window, pointing blindly at Ratchet. "What's with the light? You have to stop with the light. Turn it off. Turn it off!"

Riella had to wonder just how the boy had survived this long, if he always responded to crises this way. Although, in his defense, Ratchet wasn't cooperating, which was out of character. _Prowl, I need to take a look at Ratchet. I think he might be injured._

_Copy that._ Prowl ducked under Ironhide's arm as the weapons specialist shoved Ratchet away from the wall. _Go for it. Humans are distracted – I think it's the parents._

_Yes, I can hear them._ Riella stood on tip-toe, trying to run a scan on the still-twitchy Ratchet. ::Primus' sake, Ratchet, hold still.:: At a particular comment from Sam's mother, she raised an eyebrow. _And it would appear they have no concept of human tact, either. She might get along with Ratchet. _

::What's 'masturbating'?:: Bumblebee's question came over the open comm channel, to anyone who cared to answer. ::It wasn't in the database I downloaded.::

Prowl sighed. ::Download one that includes it, Bumblebee. I had this talk with you once and that was enough. I'm _not_ having it again on an open line with Optimus and Jazz::

Apparently most of the Autobots took his suggestion, because the comm line hissed with startled static. ::Primus's sake, I did _not_ want to see that,:: Ironhide grumbled. ::You sure humans don't discuss that slag in public, Riella?::

::Yeah, that's weird. Why's she bringin' that up?::

::I don't know and don't want to know, Jazz.:: Riella glanced back toward the window. ::Prime, move! We've got parents!::

There was a clatter of metal as five Autobots scrambled to get away from the windows, Jazz dragging Ratchet with him. Optimus jerked back just in time, and in the process bumped into the side of the house, shaking the whole thing. Sam's father yelled something about aftershocks, which drew another optic roll from Prowl. _They're going to explain it as an earthquake? Illogical but convenient._

::Stay down. They're still here.:: Optimus flattened himself back against the side of the house, Ironhide ducked around the corner and hauled Ratchet behind him, and Bumblebee, Jazz, and Prowl ducked underneath the parts of the house that jutted out. Riella wrapped her arm around Prowl's shoulder fin again and ducked under a porch light, just as Sam's father leaned out of the window.

"Judy, better call the city, we've got a blown transformer!"

::Second that, Ratch' isn't firing on all cylinders right now – aw, slag, did he see us?"

::No, Ironhide, the 'transformer' he means is a device on the power lines.:: Prowl sent back quickly. ::Riella, is Ratchet alright?::

::The jolt probably knocked a few circuits out of place, but he should be alright.:: Riella shot Ironhide a glare. ::Assuming we stop yanking him around and give me a chance to fix it.::

::Yeah, that'll happen.:: Ironhide glared right back. ::The parents are…inconvenient. Can I take them out?::

Ratchet chimed in, unfortunately _not_ over the comm line. "Yeah, yeah, yeah!"

"Ironhide, you know we don't harm humans!" Optimus snapped, sounding more stressed than Riella had heard in a long time. "What is with you? And Ratchet, _really?_"

"Well, I'm just saying we could. It's an option." Ironhide almost looked like he was pouting. Jazz elbowed him, hard, and got a swat to the shoulder in response.

"Calm down, Ironhide. I'm sure there will be opportunities to shoot things eventually." Riella debated, decided she wasn't going to get to the medic any time soon and it wouldn't do any damage, and pointed. "Someone smack Ratchet over the head, please? Not hard enough to do any damage."

Ironhide obliged, whacking the medic up the side of the head. Ratchet blinked rapidly, shook his head, and glared sternly at Ironhide. "What was that about?"

Riella smirked. "Cognitive recalibration."

Jazz, the only one who had been paying attention to the road, tapped Optimus's shoulder. "Prime, we got humans incomin'. Got a plan?"

Prowl's optics locked on to the convoy of black S.U.V.s, narrowing in concentration. "Riella, you can pass as human for the most part. Stay here and keep an optic – report back if there's a problem. You may be able to get to the glasses. As for the rest of us, falling back is no longer optional. We need to move, Prime, and we need to do it now."

"Copy that. Autobots, fall back." Optimus glanced down at Riella as she slid off Prowl's shoulder and activated her holograms. "How long do you think it will take you?"

"Entirely situation-dependent." Riella pushed her hair out of her face again and straightened her shoulders. "Go, Prime. I can handle this."

Optimus nodded, watching her duck into the shadows beside the house. "I know. Stay safe. We'll be in contact."


	7. Chapter 7: Tactical Relocation

**A/N: And here we go with the first major deviation from canon plot. There's not much of it in this chapter (I've rearranged this one and the next two five or six times trying to find a good stopping point), but this is where it starts.**

**As usual, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, or favorited – I appreciate it!**

**Chapter 7: Tactical Relocation**

As was typical for humans, the ones in the S. scattered across the yard with no apparent plan, a few hurrying to the front door while others appeared to be trying to map out the area. _They would get better results with an internet search,_ Riella thought dryly, and sensed Prowl's amused agreement a moment later when she communicated the image. _If they're looking for evidence of our team, I can guarantee you they'll destroy most of it crashing around like that. Not that there wasn't plenty of it to begin with._

The man at the door rang the doorbell repeatedly. Riella arched an eyebrow, making a note that humans were as likely as Cybertronians to attempt something over and over again in hopes that it would happen faster. It did seem to have an effect, since Sam's father answered the door in under half a minute.

"Ronald Wickity?" the man snapped.

"It's Witwicky." Sam's father's tone sounded as if he answered that question frequently. "Who are you?"

"With the government. Sector Seven." The man held up a badge that Riella couldn't see clearly from her position around the corner.

"Never heard of it."

"Never will."

_Hmm. Interesting. _She opened a comm line absent-mindedly, still trying to get a better look at the Sector Seven human. ::Riella to Prime.::

::Prime here. Do you have the glasses?::

Riella rolled her optics, for approximately the twentieth time that night. ::No. The humans involved work for their government. Sam is still in the house. Could someone do some research on a government branch known as Sector Seven? I'm trying to focus on this.::

::Jazz here. Already on it, like sparks on a plug.:: There was a brief pause. ::What was it – Sector Seven? Let you know when I've got somethin'.::

::Copy that.:: Riella gave up on the badge. She would have to get closer. ::Thank you, Jazz.::

Purely by coincidence, the human agents were moving closer to her. A plan flashed through the back of her mind, and she took a moment to verify it with Prowl.

_A bold move. Are you sure you can handle the humans solo?_

_Of course. Humans may not be my specialty, but let's not forget that I can incapacitate any one of them if things get out of control. I could stay out of the way, but we may lose Sam in the process, and without Sam I have no idea where to look for the glasses._

_Copy that. Clear it with Prime. I'll back you up._

_Appreciated._ Riella reopened the comm line, which she'd closed without thinking about it. ::Prime, requesting permission to break cover temporarily and make contact with the human agents. I may be able to gain further information from contact that I can't get at this range.::

::That seems…drastic.:: Optimus hesitated. ::This could compromise our entire operation. Are you sure?::

::All due respect, sir, between the tire tracks on the lawn, repeated sightings, and human government involvement, our operation can't get much more compromised,:: Riella pointed out calmly. ::I can handle this.::

::If you're sure - ::

::I am.:: Riella glanced up at the approaching human. ::Sir, I need a decision now. Permission to break cover?::

::Permission granted. Stay in contact.::

::Copy that. Riella out.:: She waited until the human was practically on top of her before stepping out into full view. "Is there a problem here, sir?"

"_Holy – _" The human stumbled backward, cursing. Before Riella had time to speak, she was surrounded by half a dozen humans, all with guns pointed at her head. The first one recovered from his shock enough to shout at her. "Who the hell are you?"

Without changing position, Riella looked him over, noting that she was a good four inches taller. "A family friend. Who are _you_?"

"Sector Seven. U.S. government." To her disappointment, the man didn't pull a badge, although he did gesture for the guns to lower. "This is a restricted area. What are you doing here? How did you get past us?"

_Easily,_ she commented mentally. "I wasn't aware of the restriction. What is going on here?"

The human ignored her, shouting across the yard. "Simmons! We got another one!" He gestured rapidly to the men on either side of her. "Bring her in. He'll want to talk to her too."

Both agents promptly made a grab for her, pushing her toward the house. Riella supposed she couldn't entirely blame them for the unnecessarily tight grip they took on her upper arms, although it would have been entirely ineffective had she really intended to fight back – she was taller than both and easily outweighed the one on the left. Apparently human governments didn't have much in the way of physical standards for their black-ops agents, which she assumed Sector Seven was.

The first thing she heard when she entered the house was Sam's mother, shouting at everyone in general. "You better get those guys out of my garden or I am going to _beat the crap out of them!_"

_Well, this may be interesting._ She took a moment to locate three separate exits before studying the human in a suit – presumably Simmons, who she guessed was their leader. At the moment, he was greeting Sam, in a far-too-cheerful tone. "Hi, how you doin', son? Your name Sam?"

"Yeah..." Sam saw Riella, and his eyes widened. "Oh, great. Just great. Um…"

"What?" Simmons turned around to look, and whistled slightly at the sight of Riella, looking her up and down rather pointedly. "And who are _you?_"

Riella arched an eyebrow and pulled away from the two agents, folding her arms over her chest and studying Simmons clinically. So far, he was the only Sector Seven agent tall enough to look her in the eye, though he didn't appear to have enough muscle mass to be effective in a fight. "Riella Atlas." It was her cover name, which she'd been using for about three months now. "You must be Agent Simmons."

Her tone must have conveyed how unimpressive she found him, because the human's eyes narrowed in a brief glare. "And what are you doing here, Miss Atlas?"

"Do I need a reason to visit a friend?" Riella stalked coolly past him, casually placing herself between the government agent and the Witwicky family and taking the opportunity to scan an image of the badge in his hand. "To be honest, I could ask you the same question. What is going on here?"

"What's going on is that you're all coming with us," Simmons snapped back.

And that, Riella decided, was the point where she drew the line. After all, leaving would mean there was no way to find the glasses, and she was fairly confident she could stall them for quite a while if necessary. Hopefully Sam would be looking for the glasses. If he hadn't panicked. "No, Agent, we are not. Explain what you are doing." She recognized the device the human in the corner was holding – it measured radiation levels. Apparently they had come up with a way to detect spark signatures.

_Prowl? How far back are you?_

_Five minutes out. I can be there in less if we decide that cover is no longer necessary._

_Copy that. Stand by. _

Simmons' gaze darted from Riella, to the barking Chihuahua, to Sam, and back to Riella before gesturing to the man with the scanner. "_Well_? Do we have a result?"

"Yes, sir." The human's eyes widened, and he hadn't stopped staring at Riella. "I'm thinking…direct contact, sir."

"Contact with what, Agent?" Riella asked coolly, taking a step closer and running a quick calculation to gauge the location of every human in the area. "I will not ask again. Explain yourself." Out of the corner of one eye, she spotted Sam's backpack, which the human was holding on to as if it contained a bomb. If he had the glasses, it might as well have. _Plan change. _She was already recalculating, downloading a local map and identifying an exit route. They could _not_ allow the human government to acquire the location of the AllSpark. _Inform Prime that I'm resorting to tactical relocation and taking the human children with me. I'd prefer to avoid human arrest, at least for now._

_Copy that. Stand by for rendezvous coordinates._

Simmons, for his part, ignored Riella almost entirely, grabbing the scanner himself and pointing it in Sam's direction. In the process, he unintentionally brushed against Riella's arm, and the scanner promptly let out a screech of feedback and started beeping rapidly.

Riella sighed. _Scrap._

"What the hell?" Simmons yanked the scanner back and stared at it, eyes going wider than any human's Riella had ever seen. "What the _hell?_ Don't just stand there! Tag 'em and bag 'em!"

The two agents who had escorted her inside reacted immediately, making almost-simultaneous grabs for Riella's arms. They were quick, she had to give them that.

Unfortunately for them, she was quicker.

One elbow swept up and back to jab the taller human in the chest, knocking him back and away, while her other hand caught the shorter agent in the chest and sent him sprawling. She dropped into a defensive crouch and took two quick steps back, eying the humans moving to block her exit.

_Five between us and the door. Not a difficult problem._

"Sam?" She kept her voice low and calm. "When I say run, do it."

"What? _What?_ No, we're not running from the – "

"Go!" Riella grabbed his arm and yanked hard, pulling him after her as she lunged toward the first agent in her path.

A single second of pressure on one specific nerve, and he was down. She spun, driving her right arm down toward the next opponent, and forced herself to modify the blow just in time – _no human injuries, not as long as it can be avoided. _It still knocked him back three feet and sent him sprawling into the one behind him. The two closest to the door had guns drawn and leveled by the time she reached them, but she didn't give them time to fire, kicking the gun out of one agent's hands with her left foot and slamming her heel into the other agent's chin before he could react. The door was clear.

"Sam, _go!_"

To her relief, the human did as he was told, bolting through the door with Mikaela right behind him. Riella followed, kicking the door backward sharply to slow down any followers.

_Tactical relocation in progress…_


	8. Chapter 8: Legality

**A/N: As usual, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, favorited, et cetera! I can't tell you how much it makes my day seeing that message in my email. Seriously, you guys are awesome.**

**Chapter 8: Legality**

"What the hell are we doing? What the hell are we _doing?" _Sam yanked frantically on Riella's arm. "We're _running_ from the _government_!"

"Yes, I noticed," Riella snapped quietly, pulling away from Sam and gesturing sharply at Mikaela. "Keep up! I'll have enough trouble recovering his parents. I do _not_ need to chase you down too."

"Okay, seriously…" Sam skidded to a halt, panting. "They have _cars_! And flashlights! And they found us that fast and knew about you guys and we're just going to run through the neighborhood and hope they lose us? When you've got friends who turn into cars and we could just get out of here that way? Look, I don't know what you're trying to do here, but there's no freakin' way this is going to end well –"

"Sam, _enough_." Riella interrupted his tirade sternly, crouching down behind a vehicle in the nearest driveway and gesturing for the two humans to do the same. "Be quiet. We are not using Prowl or Bumblebee's vehicle modes, because that _would_ be easy to track. I suspect Sector Seven has a way to detect us." _Speaking of which…_ She opened a comm line, glancing back over her shoulder and using an anti-trace algorithm. As far as she knew, they were tracking spark signatures, not comm signals, but better safe than sorry. ::Jazz, do you copy?::

::Jazz here, Ri. What's up? Everything cool?::

::_No_.:: Riella rolled her eyes, glancing sternly at Sam when he started to move out from behind the car. "Stay put. We move when I say so." In the distance, she could see headlights – Sector Seven was looking for them. ::As long as you are researching Sector Seven, could you look into an Agent Simmons involved in the group?.::

::What, the one who tried arrestin' ya?:: Jazz sounded like he might have been laughing. ::Copy that. Back in a minute.::

::Thank you.:: With a faint sigh, Riella sent him the scan she'd taken of Simmons' badge before returning her attention to the humans and the area. Mikaela was staring at her, wide-eyed and fidgeting.

"Look, I…" The girl paused and looked around before finishing her sentence rapidly. "I _really_ think this is a bad idea, okay? I mean, I don't know how it works with you guys, but this is gonna get us into so much trouble."

Riella straightened up, looked around, and motioned for the two to follow her. "We will worry about that later. My priority is keeping the glasses out of hostile hands."

"Yeah, I know, but – " Mikaela had to run to keep up with Riella's long strides. "I – I really can't get into trouble like this, not right now, okay? Can we please just not – I mean, there's gotta be another way…"

The girl sounded so upset that Riella slowed down and turned to look at her in confusion. "What is so specific about right now?"

"Other than the part where my car is a giant alien robot and we're trying to hide a whole crowd of giant alien robots?" Sam almost ran into her back, and tripped on his own feet trying to avoid her. "There's kinda a lot going on here!"

"Yes, so I'm aware," Riella snapped. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted headlights, and changed direction rapidly. "Off the sidewalk. There – between those cars. Get down. Now!"

The two humans obeyed immediately, so clearly they were not _that _invested in turning themselves in. Still, that was an issue that needed to be dealt with, before it caused a problem. "Mikaela." Riella waited for the girl to look at her before continuing. "What, exactly, is your problem with this happening _right now_? Is there something I need to know?"

"No! I just – it's nothing." Mikaela looked away from both Riella and Sam. "It's just that my dad…his parole's coming up, and this is gonna cause so much trouble with that, and – "

"Parole?" Sam interrupted, too loudly. Riella shot him a glare.

"Quiet! What are you talking about, Mikaela?"

"You know, parole?" It was too dark to see, but Riella thought the girl might have been tearing up. "When you get out of jail, but if you put one foot out of line you're going back?"

"I know what parole is," Riella responded, trying to keep from snapping. "What I don't understand is how that is relevant to this situation. You are not the one with the legal record, correct? This would be a first offense?"

She was met with uncomfortable, and very telling, silence.

"This is _not_ a first offense? You have a record?"

Sam broke the silence with a shaky, "Wait, what?"

The headlights in the distance had vanished again. Riella stood up and gestured sharply. "Never mind. We do not have an option at this point. Our rendezvous point is less than five minutes away. Let's go."

"No, seriously, what?" Sam followed almost automatically, still staring at Mikaela. "What are you talking about? What record?"

"It does not matter," Riella interrupted pointedly. In the back of her processor, a comm line pinged. ::Yes, Jazz?::

::Update for ya. All I'm gettin' on Sector Seven is that it's classified. Really classified. Like 'doesn't exist' classified.::

::Doesn't exist? Odd.:: Riella frowned at the images flickering in the corner of her heads-up display. ::They seem to have more authority than one would expect from a strictly black-ops group. Agent Simmons used the name as if it should mean something.::

::Habit? I got nothin'.:: Jazz sounded like he was probably shrugging. ::ETA to rendezvous is two minutes. What's your location?::

::Stand by.:: Riella turned to gesture at the humans, trying to keep her voice low. "Sam! Mikaela! We need to move."

"I know, I know, just – hang on a second…" Sam shook his head, eyes wide. "You stole cars? You and your dad?"

Riella sighed and grabbed his arm, yanking him after her. "_Now_, Sam! This is not the time to deal with this." She shot a warning glance at Mikaela. "Whatever you have to work out, do it later. I cannot leave you here, for your own safety. I am sorry if this causes you legal trouble, but there's nothing I can do now."

Mikaela nodded, sniffling, and followed, once again having to jog to keep up with Riella. "Look, Sam…"

Riella rolled her eyes, yet again. "What did I _just _say? Keep it down and follow me." Staying out of the dim streetlight, she checked both ways before turning onto a slightly busier street. So far, no sign of Sector Seven, but there was no guarantee about how long it would last. Grimacing, she tried to ignore the argument happening behind her.

"…you _stole cars? _I mean, I just can't…"

Mikaela almost ran into Riella's back, voice rising sharply. "_No._ You do _not_ get to make that call, okay? Not you of all people! I have a record because I didn't turn my dad in! When have you ever had to sacrifice anything in your perfect little life? Either of you?"

"Frequently and painfully. Don't drag me into this," Riella snapped. "I'm not going to ask again. _Shut up._" _Prowl, where are you? We have a minor legal situation that you are not going to enjoy handling._

_Contrary to popular opinion, I never do. What happened?_

_Teenager with a juvenile record who is now technically on the run from the government, thanks to us. _Riella stifled a grimace. _Just in case this mission needed another complication. _She rounded the corner onto the last street before the rendezvous point, and froze.

_Speaking of complications…_

"Miss me?" Agent Simmons folded his arms across his chest and glared at them from behind the safety of half a dozen Sector Seven agents with guns.


	9. Chapter 9: Intelligence

**A/N: And this chapter puts us back in line with canon, for a little while anyway! Sorry it took me so long to post this – I've been really swamped the last few days with other activities. Again, thanks so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, or favorited!**

**Chapter 9: Intelligence**

"Agent Simmons," Riella said coolly, taking a step forward and once again placing herself between the government agent and the human children. "I can't say it's a pleasure."

"Yeah, whatever." Simmons gestured, and out of the corner of her eye, Riella saw more humans with guns rapidly closing in.

_Frag._

"I would not do that, Agent." She shifted her weight gradually into a subtle combat stance, rapidly calculating how long it would take her to disarm all of them. To her concern, she determined that there was no way she would be able to stop every single one from shooting. Simmons knew as much, judging from his smirk.

_Prowl, ETA?_

_Keep him talking for another twenty-four seconds._

_Copy._ Riella arched an eyebrow and took a step closer to Simmons, noting the gun he was still carrying. "That would be a mistake."

"Really? 'Cause the way I see it, you made a mistake trying to evade the law, lady. You and your little criminal friends." Simmons looked pointedly at Mikaela. Riella frowned.

"I fail to see how that is relevant."

"Yeah, well, you don't need to. Come quietly and _maybe_ I'll let you keep walking." The human took a step back, yanked his gun out, and leveled it at Riella's chest. "Cuff 'em!"

Riella dove forward, under the nearest agent's outstretched arm, and made a grab for Simmons' gun, wrenching it out of his grip one-handed and spinning around to kick the human behind her away. Someone opened fire, and she hoped it hadn't been in Sam or Mikaela's direction. A bullet bounced off her shoulder, tearing her jacket, and she whipped around to face the shooter. "Stop! There is no need to harm anyone – "

Before she had time to finish the sentence, there were two guns in her face, humans trying to force her to the ground. She hissed sharply in frustration and moved to shove them away, but was abruptly interrupted by the sudden screech of tires and a rapidly-clattering transformation sequence.

Prowl went from vehicle mode to robot in less than a second, dropped to one knee, and had the point of a throwing star leveled at Simmons' chest before the human could even flinch. "Call them off."

"What the _hell – _" Simmons tried to scramble backward, cursing, and stopped in his tracks when Prowl slammed one hand down onto the concrete inches from his leg. The Autobot's optics narrowed behind his visor, though his tone never changed.

"Call them off. _Now._"

Simmons looked up at Prowl, over at where Riella had easily freed herself from the agents attempting to restrain her, and apparently decided that he was outgunned. Or, simply panicked. It was difficult to tell. "Okay! Okay! Stand down." When the remaining Sector Seven agents didn't comply immediately, he took another rapid step backward, eyes locked on the throwing star in Prowl's hand. "Stand _down_!"

Gun safeties clicked as his men took the hint. Riella sidestepped and turned to check on Sam. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no…" Sam stared wide-eyed at Prowl, looking almost as afraid of the Autobot as Agent Simmons currently did. "What's he doing? Listen, this is all just a huge misunderstanding, you guys _have _to put the weapons away!"

"This does not fit my definition of a misunderstanding." Prowl studied Simmons coldly, not moving a single cable. "Threatening them was an extremely poor decision, Agent."

"Prowl. Enough." Optimus stepped carefully over an S.U.V and aimed a stern glare at the tactician. "Release the human, please. This is not a situation in which further force is required. Jazz, relieve them of their weapons."

Prowl acknowledged, retracting the throwing star neatly and straightening up. "Sir." Behind Riella, a magnet activated with a sharp hum, and she ducked reflexively as every gun in the area was yanked up past her head into Jazz's waiting palm. The silver mech grinned down at her.

"Ya gonna keep that one?"

With a slight frown, Riella glanced down at Simmons' gun, which she hadn't realized she was still holding. "I suppose not." Turning pointedly to make sure that Simmons could see her, she flipped the gun around in her hand and clamped down, crushing the weapon like cardboard. The human turned pale and backed up until he bumped into a car, trying to get further away from her.

She sensed more than saw Prowl's smirk, as he knelt beside her and held out a hand. Still-flashing headlights from the nearest S.U.V. glinted off scraped and scarred metal. _I thought you said you had managed to lose them._

_I said that I could lose them, not that I already had,_ Riella pointed out, accepting the hand up and settling on his shoulder. _But you are correct, it was my mistake. I should have paid more attention to their location._

_In this case, you gave me the opportunity to shut your government agent up. I'll let the distraction slide._ Prowl grinned and reached up to rest his hand against her back and shoulder, making it clear he was joking. _Agent Simmons is obnoxious._

_You just noticed? _Riella frowned down at Simmons, who had gone off on another rant, this time aimed at Optimus. "Look, there are S-7 protocols, okay? I'm not authorized to communicate with you, except to tell you I can't communicate with you."

Prowl's thought process froze on that line. "My understanding was that you exist to deal with us. Why would you not be authorized to communicate with the beings you exist to communicate with?"

"Do you really want to know?" Riella arched an eyebrow, quickly trying to steer him away from a potential paradox. "I don't know that they were ever supposed to communicate with us. _Deal with_ can cover a wide range of options."

"Answer my question, Agent," Optimus ordered with a stern look at Riella and Prowl. "Why were you targeting the humans?"

"I am _not_ authorized to communicate with you! I can't tell you anything, okay?" Simmons shook his head, stared at every Autobot in the area, and started in on another string of comments about "giant alien robots".

::Does he ever shut up?:: Ratchet frowned down at the rambling human.

::I am getting the impression he does not.:: Prowl took a step back, trying to avoid the volume Simmons was managing to hit. "I honestly do not see how your commentary is relevant, Agent. If you are trying to communicate, repeatedly stating that 'this is real' will not help you."

"I'm not authorized to - "

"Right. Communicate. So you repeat nonsense." Prowl turned away with a sigh. "Prime, he isn't going to give us anything. We need to get moving."

"Opinion noted, Prowl." Optimus gestured for the two of them to back away from the humans, allowing Sam to start yelling questions at Simmons.

"Prime…" Prowl moved closer to the Autobot leader and lowered his voice. "All due respect, this is pointless and a waste of time. Sam has the glasses, as far as I know, but asking him for them in front of human government agents will not end well. As you pointed out, the longer we spend out in the open, the more likely it is that we will attract Decepticon attention."

Optimus nodded and responded in the same low tone. "Riella, you stated that the humans took Sam's parents, correct?"

"Yes." Riella looked down at Sam with a slight frown. "He is understandably concerned, but I have to agree with Prowl. We aren't going to get any information from Agent Simmons."

The human in question didn't seem to realize that he was the topic of conversation, instead glaring at Sam and anyone at the same height. "I am not at liberty to discuss this with you!"

Riella sighed and slid down Prowl's arm to land on her feet in front of Simmons, who jumped at her sudden appearance. She eyed him for a moment, gauging eye contact and heart rate. ::Prime, I believe he may be stalling us. This is dragging out much longer than necessary.::

::Do you think you can get anything from him?:: Optimus looked from her to Prowl.

::Possibly, but I doubt it.:: Riella folded her arms and looked Simmons up and down again. "Sector Seven. What is it and how did you track us?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, lady?" Simmons gave her a smug grin that didn't match with the faint tremor she could detect in his hands. "You don't scare _me. _Pretty girl with a couple of tough friends, that's all you are."

::Right. He's not scared. _Sure._:: Bumblebee's huff of irritation was audible even through his broken vocalizer. ::Can we tell him to shut up?::

::I wish.:: Prowl shook his head sternly at the younger mech. ::Let Riella focus. She needs him talking.::

"Actually, no, I don't." Riella frowned at both of them. "I could get what I want without a word from him. However, your comm chatter is extremely distracting."

"Is that so?" Simmons smirked, but took a slight step back. "Are you trying to threaten me, _bitch?_"

Bumblebee's optics flared brighter and he let out a sharp whistle, together with a snap over the comm line. ::Okay, that's _it_, I'm not standing here and listening to that - ::

::I said _leave it,_ Bumblebee,:: Prowl interrupted sternly. Riella couldn't see either of them, but she definitely heard when Prowl's tone shifted to frustration. ::Bumblebee! Did you hear me? That wasn't a request – ::

The sharp sound of a gas cap popping off alerted Riella to the situation just in time. She jumped back rapidly and sidestepped to avoid the stream of lubricant, which hit Simmons directly on the head. The human let out a startled, angry yelp. "Hey! What the hell!"

Jazz cracked up laughing, and Optimus shot the silver mech a stern glance. "Bumblebee! That's enough."

Riella sighed, exchanged a glance with Prowl, and said dryly over the comm line, ::And I thought tasteless humor was your brothers' job. Prowl gave you an order, Bumblebee. I had that under control.::

::Sorry,:: Bumblebee muttered, not sounding entirely sorry. ::But you said it yourself, he wasn't going to give us anything.::

::That doesn't mean I couldn't have gotten something. I don't need him to be cooperative.:: Riella collected two stray pairs of handcuffs and reached for the driver and a second government agent, pushing them both toward the curb. ::Prime, I don't have anything concrete, but they are almost definitely stalling us. Prowl's earlier analysis was correct. We are not safe here.::

::I'll second that,:: Ratchet put in. ::As long as Bumblebee takes his humans.:: Riella turned to see Sam and Mikaela still trying to talk to Simmons, and sighed.

::Prime…::

::Acknowledged. We need to leave. Autobots, prepare to roll out.::

Before anyone could actually obey the order, sirens wailed, and flashing lights cut through Riella's vision from both above and down the road. She squinted and managed to catch a glimpse of helicopters and more S. , approaching rapidly from three directions.

"Slag," Ironhide cursed. "Optimus! Incoming!"


	10. Chapter 10: Trapped

**A/N: Back on movie canon now, for the most part. I'm still a little iffy on this chapter – not quite sure what's not right, but something doesn't seem to fit. Maybe it's just that I've been over it too many times, but any feedback on that would be much appreciated.**

**And as always, thank you to everyone for reviewing, following, favoriting, et cetera! I didn't expect much response to this story, and I really do appreciate all of the encouragement. **

**Chapter 10: Trapped**

"Roll out! Now!" Optimus ordered sharply. "Anyone with a smaller vehicle mode, go. Riella, with me. You and I will monitor the humans."

Through the clatter of rapid transformations and chaos of Autobots taking off in five directions, Riella found Prowl at her side, his vehicle mode pushing up against her leg. _Optimus doesn't have a good understanding of this planet yet. There are things that work on Cybertron that would never work here. Be careful._

_I know. I will,_ she assured him, stroking one hand quickly over his windshield. _He may not know this planet, but I do. I'll look out for all of them._

_And for you. Look out for yourself. Be safe._

_I promise._ Riella pushed him away firmly. _Now go! Get out of here! You have your orders and I have mine. _

_Copy._ Prowl brushed up against her one more time before taking off, dark plating disappearing into the shadows.

"Riella!" She spun around, saw Optimus holding a hand out, and bounded up his arm without stopping. Sam and Mikaela were already clinging to his shoulder, trying to hold on despite the Autobot leader's rapid movement. Riella curled her arm around one shoulder panel and braced her foot against an arm guard as Optimus took off, sprinting down the road. Concrete shattered, tires screeched as cars swerved to avoid them, and a helicopter hummed past too close for comfort, forcing Optimus to duck around a corner.

::Sir?:: Riella twisted around and pushed herself higher, gritting her teeth to avoid yelling over the comm line. ::Have you considered that avoiding them would be much easier in _vehicle mode_?::

::If you want to transform, be my guest. You're small enough to get away with it. I'd damage most of the area trying to avoid them.:: Optimus nearly crashed into a building, and Riella arched an eyebrow.

::Prime, look at the road. You _are_ damaging most of the area,:: she pointed out dryly. ::You won't blend in here. We should get off the main road.::

::Acknowledged.:: Optimus swerved down another, narrower, street. ::Open to suggestions.::

Riella loosened her grip and leaned out to look, checking for any possibilities and trying to ignore the screaming humans less than a yard away. ::The bridge is an option. From what I can see, it's wide enough to provide cover.::

::Copy.:: Optimus took one more corner too quickly for comfort, dropped down over the edge, and caught himself on the underside of the bridge before they could land next to the river. Riella scrambled to regain her grip, sliding a few feet over his back as the large Autobot pulled himself up and braced both legs under the bridge as well. In this position, they were all but invisible to anyone not looking directly up at them.

Of course, helicopters were still a problem…

"Easy," Riella muttered warningly, noting that Sam and Mikaela were moving around a bit more than they should be. Somewhere far below, the faint hum of a Cybertronian engine reached her ears, cutting through the helicopter noise. ::Bumblebee! What are you doing?::

::I can't leave Sam. They're getting too close.:: The younger Autobot sounded nervous, but determined. ::He's my responsibility.::

::Bumblebee...:: Riella sighed. ::I admire your dedication, but now is not the time! We have the humans. Stay out of sight!::

::No time! The S-7 agents are getting too close. You have to get out of there!::

::Bumblebee, pull back! That's a direct -::

Riella's scolding broke off abruptly at the sound of a human scream. She jerked her head up, frantically looking for the source, and swore at the sight of Mikaela sliding off Optimus's shoulder. "Frag it!" She lunged forward, barely keeping her own grip on Optimus's arm, and made a grab for the girl. Her fingers locked around the human's for a second, but Mikaela's hand was sweaty, and couldn't get a grip on the metal. Before Riella could get a hold of Sam, he'd fallen too, pulled down as Mikaela desperately clawed at his arm. Riella's hand slid free, and she dropped after them. "Prime - !"

"Hold on!" Optimus dropped halfway down, swinging both legs down in an effort to give them something to catch. Sam and Mikaela bounced off his foot, with a thud that sounded like it might have fractured a rib or two; Riella missed entirely, tucked her head in, and braced for the landing before remembering that the humans wouldn't survive it.

_Scrap – _

Before she could come up with any workable solution, tires screeched on the concrete below, and Bumblebee sped out from under the bridge, headlights flashing. The Camaro transformed in mid-air, catching the humans directly out of the air above Riella, and landed in a rolling skid, tucking Sam and Mikaela closer to his body to protect them. Riella hit the concrete hard on her shoulder and hip, rolled and slid, and finally came to a stop curled up a few dozen yards from Bumblebee. With a groan, she stayed put, cataloguing a new string of bruises. _Ow…_

_Are you alright? _Prowl's frantic question cut through her daze. _Riella, are you hurt? Respond!_

_Minimal damage. _Wincing, she pushed herself upright, and snapped back to alertness at the sight of incoming helicopters.::Cover's broken – they've got visual. Bumblebee, take the humans and go! I'll cover for you and circle around. _Go_!::

Two helicopters closed in, barely twenty feet above Riella's head, kicking up a wind that blew her hair in all directions. She couldn't see the humans inside well enough to make out what, if anything, they were trying to do – the flashing lights prevented that. She took a quick step back, dropping into a fight stance. ::Go!::

::Riella! – ::

The thud of an air-powered weapon caught her attention the second she spun around, but she couldn't do anything about the weighted cable that tangled around Bumblebee's arm, yanking him off balance. Before she had time to get more than three steps, another thud alerted her that she was now a target as well. Without stopping, she dived and rolled, tumbling head-over-heels and coming up on her feet in a full sprint. "Bumblebee!" Another cable snagged Bumblebee's other arm, dragging him back and away from her as he fought to stay on his feet, and she activated both arm blades with a hiss. _Prowl! Do you copy? Prowl!_

_Get him out of there! I'm on my way!_

A third cable caught Bumblebee's ankles, throwing him to the ground, and he started thrashing in panic. Understandable, but a definite problem. "Stop! Bumblebee, _stop_!" Riella finally reached his side, shouting over his protesting incoherent noises. "Hold still! I –" Her blade went through the cable around his left arm easily, but before she could get to the next one, screeching tires and a hail of gunfire announced the arrival of human backup. Most of the bullets bounced off her armored bodysuit, only a few tearing through her jacket to leave stinging scrapes on her arms, but it was distracting enough that she took her attention off Bumblebee for a second.

That was her first mistake.


	11. Chapter 11: Compromised

**A/N: Sorry…I meant to have this up earlier, but finals week is eating my soul. I promise I'll get back to more regular updates as soon as I pass my chemistry exam. **

**Thanks for reviews, follows, favorites, etc. as usual! I really, really appreciate you guys. You're awesome.**

**Chapter 11: Compromised**

Three humans slammed into Riella, tackling her to the ground and dragging her away from Bumblebee as the telltale hiss and fog of gas surrounded the young Autobot. At his pained screech, Riella's optics snapped wide for an instant, too bright to be hidden by her holograms. Anger welled in her throat, tearing out in an outraged Cybertronian scream. "_**Stop! Enough!**_" She lashed out, fast and hard, quick controlled strikes driving past the humans' attempt at defending themselves and sending them skidding off in different directions. Without a pause, she was up on her feet again, racing back to Bumblebee's side with her blades up.

The cables pulled tight, flattening Bumblebee against the ground and scraping metal across concrete. "I said, enough!" Riella pivoted, neatly slicing through the nearest cable with a backhand slash and drawing her blades up in front of her. "Stop! We are no threat to you – _we are not here to harm you!"_

Both of the Sector Seven agents closing in on her froze, guns out and leveled, eyes fixed on her weapons. They weren't shooting – she could only assume they had seen her shake off gunfire moments before – but for all intents and purposes they had her cornered. Transforming would ensure they backed off, but was it worth it? Behind her, Bumblebee made another pained sound, and anger tightened in her throat, enough to draw a slight involuntary snarl. _Easy, easy, hold the line but do not start a fight - easier said than done – Prowl!_

_Stay calm. Stay calm! _Her mate's presence flashed across the open bond, concern and hyperawareness tangling in with her own emotions. He'd nearly reached them while she was distracted. _Give me a minute – backup is on the way - _

Every gun in the area must have fired at once, judging by the hail of bullets that cut into Riella's attempt to respond to Prowl. She flinched and took a quick step back, throwing one arm up in a reflexive effort to shield her optics. _Prowl, hurry!_

Something grabbed her from behind, and on pure reflex she spun and sliced downward, driving through the unlucky human's arm and chest before she could stop herself. The Cybertronian blade went through Kevlar easily, and blood splattered across Riella's chest. Shocked, she jerked back and retracted the blade. "Stop! _Enough!_ I –"

Three more humans grabbed for her, and she barely had time to deactivate her blades before snapping into a blocking stance and deflecting attacks at high speed. Just as she sent the last one stumbling away with a quick side-kick to the chest, the now-familiar thud of the air cannon sounded above her, and a cable tangled around her arms and chest, pinning her. A rough jerk on the cable threw her off-balance and sent her sprawling. Her head smacked hard into concrete, stunning her for a few seconds, and before she could get back up, heavy weaponry was pinning her down, and the sharp hiss of nitrogen gas next to her head made it clear they intended to knock her out.

"_**Riella!**_"

The gas was taking effect. Even Prowl's harshly accented Praxus dialect of Cybertronian was barely audible through the haze. She tried to reach out to him over the bond, vision and hearing failing rapidly. _Prowl…_

_Riella, respond! Riella!_

Her name, along with the sense of Prowl's presence, faded into static and then darkness as she finally passed out.

_Riella! _Prowl all but screamed her name over the bond, transforming at high speed on his way and racing toward the edge of the bridge. Every weapon he had was already online, regulations and protocol shoved to the back of his processor by the need to reach her, _now_, before the humans could harm her -

Ironhide crashed into him, sending him skidding across the road and knocking him off-balance. Before Prowl could get up, the larger mech was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "No!"

"Get the _frag _off me, Ironhide!" Prowl twisted, already bracing to kick the weapons specialist off, when Ratchet's hands clamped around his shoulders and immobilized him with a stern growl.

"Kid, you'll only get yourself captured. You'll be no help to her." The medic's optics were dark with anger and worry. "I know, Prowl. Believe me, I _know._ But if you run in there, we'll lose you too."

"Hang back, let me check it out. Prowl – " Jazz's optics narrowed warningly in the darker mech's direction, as Prowl pulled away from Ironhide and Ratchet and got back to his feet. "I said _hang back!_" The silver mech swung down over the railing, trying to get a better view, and winced at the sight of the human vehicles disappearing into the distance. "Optimus, we can't jus' stand here an' do nothin'! I can take Prowl an' – "

"No, Jazz." Optimus stepped down from the bridge, shaking his head sadly. "There's no way to free Bumblebee and Riella without harming the humans."

"_What?_" Prowl tore away from Ironhide's restraining hand and lunged toward his commanding officer, stopping just short of grabbing the larger 'bot by the shoulders. "That's _Riella _and_ Bumblebee_ we're talking about! Do you think the humans have any problems with harming _them? _Do you have any idea what they could do to him? To _her_?"

"Easy, mech." Jazz put a restraining hand on Prowl's arm, pushing him lightly away from their leader. "Optimus, it's not right. They -"

"Let them leave." Optimus reached down and picked up the glasses that had fallen from Sam's pocket, unnoticed. "Prowl, if there was any other way, I would take it. But for now, we must wait."

"_**No!**_" Prowl shoved Jazz away, optics flaring, and for a moment debated the possibility of taking off after the humans. _I could reach her if I just – _Ratchet's hand came down hard on his shoulder, stopping any possibility of movement.

"Prowl, enough! Stop and _think_," the medic snapped. "Do the math. Attacking may put her in more danger. Riella's not injured badly – if you're walking with an open bond, I know she'll make it. And she would never let them hurt Bumblebee. It's Riella. Trust her. She can handle this."

_No – I could – _

_No. Probability of success: approximately 45%. Probability that Riella or Bumblebee would be further injured? 76%. _

With a slow, reluctant, head-shake, Prowl stopped fighting Ratchet's hold. He turned to look up at Optimus, fists clenched and optics flickering. "Leaving her entirely alone and without backup, while held by hostile forces, is _wrong_. Prime..."

"I am truly sorry, Prowl." Optimus rested a hand briefly on his tactician's shoulder before turning to lead the way off the bridge. "We will get her back as soon as there is a way to do so safely. You have my word."

Optics narrowed, Prowl stared after the convoy of human vehicles, now almost out of sight even for him. He could still feel Riella over the bond, her presence faint and withdrawn, but not in pain. That was something, at least. It wasn't enough to stifle the guilt or worry he felt turning away from the vehicles and following the remaining Autobots. _Riella, I'm sorry…I am so sorry. I will find you. I promise._


	12. Chapter 12: Out of Contact

**A/N: Finals are done, but I'm moving over the next week and a half, so it may be a little longer before I can get back to every-day updates. Sorry…I'm trying, I promise! Thanks for all the encouragement!**

**Harris is technically an OC, I guess. I just gave a random Sector Seven agent a name because calling him "the agent" all the time got awkward after about four sentences, and I thought it was funnier this way. And yeah, I know this chapter cuts off at a weird point; it was the first half of a chapter that I had to split for length reasons, and I couldn't find a good stopping point.**

**Chapter 12: Out of Contact**

Riella came back to consciousness slowly, vision finally returning and providing her with a blurry image of the back seat of a government S.U.V. The pressure on her wrists indicated that, to her annoyance, she was handcuffed much more tightly than standard procedure; not something she couldn't break easily, but uncomfortable. When she moved, a gun pressed hard against her ribcage, and she almost laughed, looking up at the Sector Seven agents on either side of her. How well did they think _that_ was going to work?

"Don't even think about it, lady." The agent pushed the gun into her side a little harder. "We've got orders to shoot if you so much as blink wrong."

Apparently, they had missed the part where she was bulletproof.

Her head hurt – an unpleasant side effect of the gas and being abruptly pulled away from an open bond. No matter how much she wanted to make her point, she wasn't terribly interested in further movement just yet. It would be easier when the gas had finished wearing off. "There is no need to threaten me." She allowed her head to rest against the back of the seat. "I would not leave without Bumblebee. Or the human children, for that matter."

"Right," the man on her left muttered. "We noticed. You have a death wish or something? Pull a stunt like that again and you'll end up six feet under before you can blink."

Riella arched an eyebrow. "Agent, I am quite certain that would be difficult for you to manage even if I was still unconscious."

He started to say something else, but was silenced by his partner snapping "No communication, Harris. You know the protocol."

When Riella looked back at Harris, he looked away with a glare. Frowning, Riella shrugged and decided to ignore him for the time being. An effort to open her comm line only resulted in static, which worsened her headache. "Scrap," she muttered quietly. _Signal jammer_. No surprise, really; when she looked out the window, the sun was up, and they were surrounded by human-driven vehicles – mostly the S.U.V's. they seemed to prefer. She'd been unconscious for several hours, at least.

Closing her eyes, she reached out to the bond, and realized she had reflexively shut it. She knew where the reflex came from, of course; it was standard procedure for a captured bonded Autobot. Close the bond, so that anything done to the one would not affect the other. It was an invaluable precaution, especially when dealing with torture. But for all the logic behind it, closing the bond felt _wrong_.

She needed contact with Prowl. She needed to know that she was not alone. That whatever was happening on this alien planet in a back corner of a strange galaxy, they still had each other. Rescue would be difficult, she knew, and she didn't expect them to drop the mission and risk human lives to find her and Bumblebee immediately. After all, she noted, wincing at the memory and the blood still staining her jacket, her own rescue attempt had resulted in at least one fatality, possibly more.

After a moment of considering, she settled on a compromise and allowed her block on the bond to lighten. It didn't allow them to speak, and any emotional or sensory transfer was muted, but she could sense Prowl's presence again. And after a few seconds, the surge of awareness in the bond indicated that he knew she was there as well.

Tires screeched and the S.U.V lurched as they came to an abrupt stop, skidding to a halt too close for comfort to the one in front of them. Harris's gun poked sharply up against Riella's side. "Get out of the car. Don't try to run or I'll shoot you."

"So you've mentioned," Riella said dryly, stepping out of the car and carefully tilting her hands to keep the now-unlocked handcuffs in place. A few yards away, Sam and Mikaela had just gotten out of another S.U.V, along with Simmons, who was pushing both of them toward a helicopter. They weren't her concern at the moment. She turned as subtly as possible, flicking her scanner on again and hoping Bumblebee would be close enough to avoid the signal jammer.

He was. Riella's eyes narrowed in anger and worry at the sight of the young Autobot strapped to a flatbed truck, semiconscious and making no sound. It took a physical effort to keep from pulling away and running to him, which the human agents apparently noticed - Harris's grip on her arm tightened, and she heard the soft click of a gun safety being switched off.

"Really, Agent?" She turned to look him in the eye, coldly staring him down. "Please don't bother. We both know it is entirely pointless." Without waiting for him to respond, she forced herself to walk toward the helicopter, opening a comm line as she did. ::Bumblebee, if you can hear me, respond!::

She got a few clicks in response, then a static-laced transmission. ::*kkhhhtt*Riella?*khhht*:: She couldn't tell if the static was from the signal jammer or Bumblebee's damage. That was worrying.

::I'm here, Bumblebee. Are you all right? What is your status?::

::*kkkhhhkkk*Acceptable if…*kzzt*...pleasant.*kkhhhht*::

::Can you handle the trip out? I have no idea how long it will be before I can get to you, once I board that helicopter.:: She studied her position relative to the agents, making a rapid decision. If Bumblebee said _no_, she would take him and get out. They would get to the humans later.

::*kkht* Think so. Get…*kkkhk*…and Sam.::

::Copy that. Stand by. I'll sort an extraction plan and contact you when I have the humans contained.::

Harris shoved her, forcing her to take a few quick steps to keep her balance. Distracted by the conversation, she'd all but stopped walking. With a grimace, she picked up the pace again, realizing that her own comm line was starting to crackle with static. She was probably getting closer to the signal jammer. Once she reached the helicopter, her communications would likely go completely offline.

::Bumblebee, I'm going to lose contact. Stay calm and cooperate as far as you can. Don't worry about Sam. I have visual on him.:;

::*khht*Copy - khhht*::

Riella winced at the coughing crackle, which clearly wasn't from the jammer. ::No exertion, Bee. Stay calm and let your self-repairs work on it. I _will_ get us out of here as soon as I can. I promise.::

As she stepped into the helicopter, her comm line cut off entirely with a hiss and squeal of feedback. Riella winced, tilting her head and shaking it in an effort to get rid of the piercing sound. _Slag. I was hoping for more time. _She reached into the bond again, taking comfort from the faint hint of Prowl's spark. _Just stay calm and be patient. _She stopped where Harris gestured for her to sit down between Sam and a woman she didn't recognize, and frowned pointedly at his effort to hand her ear protectors and a microphone. It took a moment, but he got the hint, reached to remove the handcuffs, and stopped to hunt for a key. Raising an eyebrow, she flexed her wrist slightly, snapped the metal, and handed him the cuffs, helping herself to the ear protectors and microphone.

"Holy _shit…_" The dark-skinned young man across the aisle stared up at her with wide eyes and faintly shaking hands. Riella smiled calmly at him until he shrank back in the seat, then turned her smirk on Harris. The agent yanked his gun out and pointed it shakily at her chest.

"Down! Sit down _now _or I _will_ shoot!"

"I would not recommend that." Riella took her time, adjusting the microphone earpiece until it fit comfortably over one pointed ear. "Shooting point-blank in an enclosed space is likely to cause a ricochet."

Harris, to his credit, managed to hold the gun pointed at her until she finally did sit down and buckle the seatbelt across her chest. The moment she did, he took a few quick steps backward and all but ran for the cockpit, leaving her alone with Sam, Mikaela, and the two unknown humans as the helicopter took off.

"Humans," she remarked dryly over the microphone. A quick scan revealed that the channel did not, in fact, connect to the cockpit. For all intents and purposes, this was a private line.

"You say that like you aren't one." Sam looked at Riella and seemed to reconsider. "Uh, assuming you _are_."

Riella arched an eyebrow. "After everything you've seen, Sam? That would seem to be a rather illogical assumption."

"…Sorry?" Sam looked away, as if he couldn't make eye contact, and glanced over at the strangers. "Um, so…hi?"

"Yeah, hi." The woman beside Riella leaned forward to look at him, eyeing Riella nervously. "What'd they get you guys for?"

"I bought a car," Sam grimaced. "Turned out to be an alien robot. Who knew?"

"Oh." The woman looked across at Mikaela, who shrugged and shot Sam a stern look, before not-quite making eye contact with Riella. "Um, what about you? You were joking about the human thing, right?"

"No." Riella shrugged. "And I am not entirely sure what they're arresting me for this time. Possibly for existing."

"Existing?" Mikaela slid back in the seat, as if trying to make more space between herself and Riella. "Look, you've been dodging around giving us information since we met, okay? What's going on with you?"

_Hmm. Fascinating. _After a moment of internal debate, Riella decided that she might as well be honest. It wasn't as if her nature was a secret, anyway. "Which version of the truth would you like? Technically speaking, I am here because I found an alien robot in a supposedly uninhabited jungle, an extremely long time ago. More technically speaking, I am _here_ because I chose emotion over apparent rationality, both in that jungle in the first place and now last night when Bumblebee was threatened. Either one is rather accurate."

"You're doing it again. Not explaining!" Mikaela shook her head, looking at Sam for backup. "I mean, Optimus Prime introduced you as one of his commanders, like you've been with them for a long time, and you talk about humans like you _aren't_. And you don't look like one, either, not up close. I saw..." She gestured toward Riella's arms, still covered by her hologram projection. "When that...thing..."

"Barricade. Decepticon," Riella corrected automatically.

"Right, whatever. You were fighting, and your arms…they were some kind of blue metal. With knives attached. You did it again last night. And whatever comes out when you get cut...it's not blood. It's green. It's still on your jacket. At least – oh, God, I _hope_ that's what's on your jacket." Mikaela stopped for a moment to stare at Riella, which everyone in the helicopter was doing by this point. "You look like you could maybe be human, but…not all the time. What are you? I mean _really_."


	13. Chapter 13: Explanation

**A/N: Had some time to write in the car yesterday, so have another couple chapters – this one and chapter 14 were originally the same chapter, and ended up split in half because otherwise it was ridiculously long.**

**Usual thank-yous for follows, favorites, reviews, and reading! I appreciate your patience with the weird update schedule.**

**Chapter 13: Explanation**

Well, the girl was smart enough to have guessed the truth, or pretty close to it. Riella arched an eyebrow and settled back in the chair, assuming the most nonthreatening posture she could manage. "That's a fair question, and you have a point. Both of you have seen more than enough to warrant an explanation – with a condition. I understand that I have no authority over any of you, but I have to ask you to keep this to yourselves. I am not interested in having this conversation with several Sector Seven agents and an anti-Cybertronian weapon, at least not at this point in time." She glanced at the two strangers. "You don't know me, or my team, but please believe me when I tell you that this information could cause serious problems for your entire planet if the government acquired it without my knowledge. I can assure you it will not remain a secret forever."

"Okay," Mikaela said, Sam nodding. "We weren't gonna say anything anyway. Who'd want to talk to these jerks?"

The two on the other side added their agreement. "Well, I can't say I'm not curious, so…yeah, go for it," the woman said. "By the way, I'm Maggie, and this is Glen."

"I'm Mikaela. That's Sam." The girl turned toward Riella, paused, and said, "Maybe you should introduce yourself."

With half a smirk at the stares she got from everyone in the helicopter, Riella shut down her holograms one at a time. Across the aisle, Glen's eyes got wider and more panicked when Riella's eyes began to glow and silvery scars appeared on her forehead and cheekbones; by the time she got to the blue metal forearms, he was all but curled up in the seat. She kept her hands at her sides, trying to project a relatively harmless image. "My name is Riella, third Autobot scout commander, trained and practicing Cyber-Ninja. I serve as a scout, defense and undercover tactician, and special ops agent for the Autobot forces, as well as directing Division III as my sparkmate Prowl's second-in-command. I was born a Vulcan hybrid nearly four thousand years ago, but when I was fatally injured in an early Autobot-Decepticon battle, I was rebuilt as a technorganic. I still retain part of my original organic nature, but am mostly Cybertronian. For all intents and purposes, I am as much an Autobot as anyone you have met in vehicle or robot mode."

By this point, she wasn't sure human eyes could possibly open any wider, and both Sam and Maggie had scooted as far away from her as possible. Sam's jaw dropped. None of them seemed to be able to find their voices, but Riella had anticipated her explanation raising more questions. "A 'sparkmate' is similar to a human spouse, and you would say I am married to Prowl. The relationship is not quite a human-style marriage, but close enough for this discussion. A Cyber-Ninja is an Autobot who is fully trained in the Cybertronian martial arts, and 'Vulcan' is the name of the planet I was born on as well as the name of my birth parents' species. Vulcans are superficially similar to humans with significant internal differences; even before being rebuilt I was stronger and faster than any human, and I have retained my touch telepathy. I do have a robot mode which resembles a conventional Cybertronian's, which is an advantage I prefer not to reveal to Sector Seven until necessary. I do in fact bleed in both modes – Vulcan blood is green - though most of the injuries you have seen so far have been superficial. Did I cover everything?"

Sam finally found his voice. "You - you're, like, an - an alien?"

"Affirmative." Riella gave him a questioning look. "I thought that had been established."

"Wh-why didn't you...say anything?" Mikaela's expression mirrored Sam's. "Wait, telepathy? That's mind reading, right? Do we – do I – " Every human in the helicopter suddenly looked very worried.

"You have nothing to worry about," Riella assured them. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned the touch telepathy. "It relies on physical contact, and I have to use it consciously. I have no interest in reading any of your minds."

"You could just be saying that." Maggie studied her warily, looking down to make sure they weren't touching. "So…what, you're an alien robot, and Sector Seven didn't notice?"

"That would seem to be the case." Riella glanced over at Sam, who appeared to be stifling a snicker. "Something humorous? Besides the fact that Agent Simmons is extremely dense."

"Well, yeah, I know, but…" Sam choked on laughter. "He kept talking about your alien friends on the way over here. _You're_ an alien! Like a really obvious one once you know what to look for! How the hell did he miss that?"

"Humans see what they want to see. Prowl and I had very little difficulty remaining undercover on your planet." Riella arched an eyebrow, yet again, and refrained from pointing out that Sam himself had assumed she was human not five minutes ago. At least he had questioned it at some point. "I do have to admit that I expected him to notice sooner. The fact that Sector Seven continues to treat me like a human is convenient, but I do not expect it to continue once they realize."

The laughter died away abruptly, and Mikaela looked at her worriedly. "You mean, they'll do to you what they did to Bumblebee?"

"In all probability, they will try." Riella sensed a faint flicker of determination from Prowl, far away now, and glanced out the window. "I am not quite as adherent to the rules as Bumblebee. If Sector Seven continues to harm him, they will regret it, regardless of what they attempt to do to me." Turning back to Sam and Mikaela, she added quietly, "That goes for both of you as well. I am responsible for you until I have a chance to free Bumblebee. Sector Seven will not be allowed to threaten you, either. You can be sure of that."

Sam did not look sure. "…can you define 'regret it'? I mean, they're all a-holes, but I'd really rather not be the reason for murder. Or anything." He looked sideways at Riella. "But if you want to _threaten_ it…"

"I will do whatever the situation calls for," Riella said calmly. "However, Autobot protocol requires that I refrain from intentionally harming humans unless I have no other option."

"That's…good? I guess?" Maggie sighed and leaned against the back of the chair. "God, I hope this mess gets sorted out soon…"

By Riella's calculations, they were in the air for roughly an hour before the helicopter began to descend. Harris reentered the passenger space the moment they landed, gun leveled at Riella again. She sighed and shook her head at him. _Really now? You never learn_. She ignored him, walking out of the helicopter without looking at the gun and promptly taking in the area around her. _Hoover Dam. Plenty of agents on-site. Very few civilians. That is unusual but fortunate. _Her comm line snapped back online with a crackle, drawing her attention to the second helicopter on the far side of the landing platform, and the figure being unloaded. Even without the static on the comm line and the signal, she recognized the yellow plating and faint metallic squeaking immediately.

::Bumblebee, come in. Bumblebee!::

::…How was your trip?:: Bumblebee's tone was completely at odds with his weak appearance. If it weren't for the fact that she could see him, Riella would have assumed he was smirking.

::What – oh, for Primus's sake, Bee. Are you playing up your injuries?::

::You did say to cooperate as far as possible,:: Bumblebee pointed out. ::And from what I can tell, they don't want information.::

::Oh, Bee. That's not what I meant.:: Riella's spark pulsed with a quick flash of anger at the humans' senseless cruelty. ::But it may have kept them from doing worse. We will be leaving shortly. I promise.::


	14. Chapter 14: Divide and Conquer

**A/N: And the other half of the chapter, getting back to Prowl this time. This is another scene that ended up expanded from the original and got really, really long.**

**Chapter 14: Divide and Conquer**

A few hundred miles away, judging by the weakness of the link he was still getting from Riella, Prowl paced impatiently, waiting for Optimus to finish scanning a hologram through Archibald Witwicky's glasses. "Prime, I'm aware I'm repeating myself at this point, but how long do you expect this to take?"

"As a matter of fact, no longer. The code on these glasses indicates the AllSpark is two hundred and thirty miles from here." Optimus turned off the hologram, satisfied, and gestured to the remaining Autobots.

"I suspect the Decepticons are getting ready to mobilize," Ratchet warned, with a stern glance at Prowl that was probably meant to indicate 'calm down and pay attention'.

Ironhide agreed with a gruff nod. "They must know it's here as well."

"Of course they know, Ironhide." Prowl couldn't stop his tone from sounding rather snappish. "They _have _been here longer than we have. It's beside the point. Riella and Bumblebee should be our priority right now." When no one responded, he pushed further, directing his comments to Optimus. "Prime, there are too few of us to handle the Decepticons alone if they do mobilize. This is not just about my peace of mind. We need them back."

When Optimus still hesitated, Jazz climbed down from the wall where he had been keeping watch. "Prowl's right. Besides, we can't just leave 'em to die, or become some - human experiment, Prime. Ya know that. Taking care of our own is what we do."

"They may die in vain if we don't accomplish our mission," Optimus pointed out quietly, not making optic contact.

"Their death is not a guaranteed outcome!" Prowl moved in front of Optimus, all but forcing the larger mech to look at him. "I have contact with Riella. If what I'm picking up is correct, and I believe it is, they are in roughly the same direction as the AllSpark. Rescuing them on the way should be relatively simple, and from there we can proceed with a full team."

"We cannot delay." Optimus was shaking his head slowly before Prowl had time to finish his sentence. "Prowl, you have my word that we will rescue them, but we must locate the AllSpark before the Decepticons do. Riella and Bumblebee would agree that it is our priority."

"More of a priority than their _lives?_" Prowl snapped, optics shading darker with anger. "Optimus, the day we start abandoning our own is the day we should no longer have custody of the AllSpark! This is not Cybertron. Yes, Riella and Bumblebee would agree to remain in Decepticon custody for the good of the many, but humans are not Decepticons. We have no idea what they are capable of! There is no tactical advantage to leaving our allies in enemy hands this time, no matter how urgent our mission."

"Prowl's got a point, Optimus," Ironhide rumbled. "Why are we fighting to save these humans? They're a primitive and violent race."

Prowl turned away, reaching out to Riella again. The bond was still closed, but not blocked – he could sense a rising agitation, indicating that the situation might very well be escalating. _Riella…_ He knew very well she couldn't hear him. _I will not abandon you. Even if I have to choose between you and Prime._

"Were we so different? They are a young species, they have much to learn." Optimus looked down at the glasses once more. "But I've seen goodness in them. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, Ironhide, no matter who they are or what they may have done."

Prowl tried his comm system again, hoping for an active signal. ::Riella, if you can hear me, respond. Riella!::

No response. Her signal, and Bumblebee's, were still being jammed. Without that, all he had to go on was the bond.

It would be enough.

Optimus's speech was wrapping up – Prowl wasn't quite sure what he had missed, but if it was standard, probably nothing he wasn't about to argue with. "We cannot let the humans pay for our mistakes. It's been an honor serving with you all."

"Wait!" Prowl interrupted, knowing what order they were about to get. This was his last chance to handle this without flat-out defying the entire Autobot chain of command. Ratchet and Jazz, no matter how much they cared for Riella, were not likely to back him up on this one. "Prime, _wait. _I understand that you want to protect humanity. Refusing to rescue our teammates will not help that goal. If we abandon Riella to the humans, with no backup…" He shook his head. "Every one of you has seen her in battle. You know how far she will go – how far _I _will go – to keep those under our protection safe. That is why you gave us Special Ops. And right now, Sector Seven is threatening Bumblebee and two human children under our protection." He waited a moment for his words to sink in. "Prime, Riella will not be prioritizing the human agents' safety or Autobot regulations. And under these circumstances, neither am I."

That was closer to a veiled threat than he meant it to be, but it had the desired effect. Optimus turned to look at him, optics narrowed. "What are you implying, Prowl?"

"That retrieving Riella and Bumblebee is in our best interests as well as that of the humans. I'm sure all of you are well aware of my position on the needs of the many." Prowl turned around, looking from one teammate to another, and stepped back, subtly placing himself out of anyone's reach. "I intend to rescue them, alone if necessary. Whether I do so with your permission or not is negotiable. I will of course take full responsibility and accept whatever punishment you decide is appropriate – _after_ I return. I would prefer not to go outside of Autobot regulations for this, Prime." He tried to sound less defiant, and wasn't sure if it worked. "Turning on ourselves at this point would be extremely counter-productive. But that is effectively what happens if we choose to abandon Riella and Bumblebee."

He got unexpected backup from Ratchet, who turned to stare Optimus down pointedly. "He's right, Optimus. The AllSpark is important, no one's questioning that. But so are our teammates. Just because we are on a new planet doesn't mean we should change who we are. Prowl's obviously made up his processor about this, and he's got a point. Alienating each other will not help." The medic glanced down to glare at Prowl. "Which does not mean that ignoring orders is an intelligent tactic, or one that I can agree with. But his main point is accurate. We need them back."

Optimus sighed, looking from one to the other. "Divide and conquer is not a good solution when we are already at a disadvantage. Prowl, if you go, I cannot spare anyone else with you. And while we will do our best to provide backup, we may not be able to reach you."

"Understood," Prowl responded confidently. "And I will not be alone. While I have no idea what Bumblebee's physical condition is, Riella is still combat-capable. I can guarantee backup from her, even if you cannot reach me in time." He looked up at Optimus and added, more quietly, "I would take the risk even if there was no possible backup, Prime."

"I know." Optimus shook his head slowly and looked sternly down at his tactician. "All right. Permission granted – on the condition that you make every possible effort to avoid harming humans and make contact with us as soon as possible after retrieving Riella and Bumblebee. And we _will_ be discussing your stated intention to ignore my orders, at the earliest possibility."

"Yes, sir." Prowl opened his end of the bond as far as possible, honing in on the faint trace of Riella's presence, and transformed before the order was given.

Optimus turned and gestured for the others to follow. "Autobots, roll out!"

"We rollin'!" Jazz's quip was the last comment Prowl heard as the five of them left the sheltered building, four on the road and one taking the direct, if offroad, route to Hoover Dam.


	15. Chapter 15: Transformation

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had a combination of RL issues and other writing projects distracting me, but hopefully we're back in business now. Sorry about the wait. I promise, not abandoning this thing. **

**Chapter 15: Transformation**

Riella studied the long drop over the side of the Hoover Dam, vaguely intrigued by the construction. She had to admit it was fairly impressive, by human standards. Credit where credit was due.

A gun brushed against her back, catching on her torn jacket. She turned to arch an eyebrow at Harris, resisting the urge to demonstrate why letting your captive know exactly where the gun was located was a bad move. "Agent, there is really no point in the constant threats. You are not improving my opinion of you."

"Just get moving," Harris grunted, though he backed off slightly with the gun. "Boss wants to talk to you."

Riella rolled her eyes and followed Sam and Mikaela in the direction he'd indicated, frowning at the sight of Simmons and another Sector Seven agent. _If this is not about Bumblebee, we are not talking._

"Hey, kid." Simmons ignored her, speaking cheerfully to Sam, who glanced sideways at Riella as if hoping for a cue. "I think we got off to a...bad start, huh? You guys must be hungry. You want a latte? HoHo? Double venti macchiato?"

_All right. This is pointless. I am done with pointless. _"Enough nonsense, Agent. Where is Bumblebee?" Riella moved in front of Sam, all but forcing Simmons to look at her.

"Uh...who?" He looked genuinely confused. She resisted the urge to pursue that line of thought. It was not important.

"My car?" Sam, having apparently decided that Simmons was less dangerous than he appeared, glared at the man from behind Riella's shoulder. "You know, the one you took?"

"I'm sorry about your car, but we have bigger priorities." Riella arched an eyebrow at the other Sector Seven agent, who glared at her from behind sunglasses. "All three of you need to listen to me very carefully. People can die here. We need to know everything you know, and we need to know it now."

Riella straightened her shoulders and stared through the sunglasses coolly. "Agent, I am well aware that people can, and _will_, die here. This is not news. You do _not_ need to know everything I know, and making demands will not help you."

"You do not give me orders, young lady!" the agent snapped. "What was it – Atlas? Let's get one thing straight." He took a step closer, deliberately invading her personal space. She didn't move, maintaining eye contact. "_I_ give the orders here! I don't care if you do have alien friends, you have _no _authority to do _anything _other than answer my questions!"

"Indeed?" Riella shifted her weight slightly, adjusting her stance so that she stood as tall as he did. Irritation rose, combining with her anger at Bumblebee's treatment, but she suppressed it for the moment. "This is nothing personal, Agent." _Though it could quite easily become so._ "Take this as a professional recommendation. In your position, threatening me is…unwise. You are holding someone I value highly prisoner, making no effort to treat him well. Regardless of what you believe, you _are_ outgunned in this particular scenario."

"Will you _stop _with the car?" Simmons pushed Sam out of his way, closing in on Riella. "When are you gonna get it through your head? We are in charge here, lady!"

The second agent – Banachek, she noted on his nametag – followed that up with a sharp gesture to Harris. In her peripheral vision, Riella saw him draw his gun yet again and narrowed her optics, allowing her holograms to fade. _I am tired of being threatened. _Banachek didn't notice the warning signs, and took another step closer, all but pushing her back. "You want that car back? Start talking. You're gonna stop with the attitude and give us everything we want to know, _now_, or I can personally guarantee that you will regret it."

"I will regret this? _I _will regret it?" Riella's increasingly limited patience gave out. _Threatening Bumblebee was your mistake. _"What makes you think you have any authority over me, human? Why should I listen to you? I command armies and win battles, _child_. You've seen me in action and still truly think you can intimidate me with a gun? I survive worse in routine accidents!" She spun and hit Harris's gun open-handed, bending the barrel sideways and sending it clattering across the concrete. "You threaten me with death? I have been a warrior risking my own life, and those of my soldiers, since before those who created your agency were _born!_ You are so desperate to learn about the Autobots?" A humorless smirk flashed across her face, and a single thought – _no better time for this _– triggered her transformation sequence. "Try talking to one!"

Banachek and Simmons jumped back simultaneously as her arms, legs, and torso extended and expanded, shredding the leather jacket in the process. Riella took a nanosecond to sigh – she'd liked that coat - as her armor locked into place, a familiar prickle running through her organic skin as panels rotated and separated it.

_Four thousand years and that is still uncomfortable._

The simple helm flipped into place over the top of her head, wheels extended from midway down each calf and spun for a moment before the latches kicked in, and Riella relaxed her stance to allow the lower leg to form and extend into narrow feet and heel struts. She'd learned from experience that tension in that area did _not_ help. Intense blue-green optics glowed in the center of a pale, scar-streaked metal face, and sunlight glinted off the red Autobot symbol etched into the center of the silver windshield forming the upper half of her chest. She tilted her head and cracked her neck, taking a second to enjoy the return to fourteen feet tall and the looks on the humans' faces.

_Yes. Remaining undercover for this long was worth it._

She crouched slightly to get a better look at the humans, cycling her right arm through a transformation to cannon mode and back again. It was in full working order, and more importantly, had the desired effect. "I would prefer not to ask again. Where is Bumblebee?" The metallic echo was more pronounced now, emphasizing her slight accent.

"What the hell _are_ you?!" Banachek demanded. Riella noticed he'd drawn a gun, and eyed it with a faintly raised eyebrow ridge.

"Agent, that weapon will be even less effective now."

It hit the ground with a clatter. Riella turned her gaze to Simmons, who took another stumbling step back. "Oh, God. This is bad, right?"

"You might say that." Riella allowed a growl to creep into her voice. "Bumblebee?"

Simmons shook his head, eyes going wider and wider. "You're one of them. _One of them._ And you can look human and – holy _crap_, this changes the whole deal – "

"_Answer me_." Riella deliberately lowered her voice into the tone she used for uncooperative Decepticons. "Now, Agent."

"Inside! He's inside." Simmons took another step back, talking too quickly and looking around as if expecting someone to help him. "Okay? Inside. Not out here. Inside, where it's not quite so…open…"

Riella rolled her optics and snapped, "I can recognize a stall tactic when I see one, Agent, and yours is particularly transparent. Waiting for your weaponry to arrive will not help you." She bent down to look him directly in the eye. "I am not in a patient mood. Tell me where Bumblebee is, now, or…" With a quick scan to make sure there were no humans within her target range, she swept her cannon arm back and fired without looking, retaining eye contact with the agents the entire time. Sector Seven agents yelled and scattered as the muted blast was drowned out by the resulting explosion, shrapnel clattering across the ground.

Well. She hadn't expected an S.U.V to be quite so…volatile.

On the bright side, it did have the desired effect. The clear realization on Simmons' face of what he'd just gotten himself into told her that she would have no more trouble getting what she wanted. Of course, openly firing was not an option when dealing with the humans themselves, and had Optimus been there, she was sure she would have received a stern reprimand for the implied threat.

No matter. Optimus was _not_ there, and sometimes it was better not to specify every single action when reporting to your commanding officer.

"Well?" She returned her attention to the two humans in front of her. Banachek swallowed visibly.

"This way. Ma'am." The last word sounded like an afterthought, and an irritated one at that.

"Good decision." Riella kept her steps slow and short to match his pace, which had the added side effect of emphasizing that even though she was a small Cybertronian, she was still large enough to step on him. "Sam, Mikaela, stay close, please. I would prefer to have you within my sight, for now."

"Coming!" Sam ran to catch up, staring up at her with wide eyes. "Hey, Riella? As long as you're the one negotiating, I'd like my parents back too. Oh, and her juvie record?" He gestured to Mikaela. "That's got to be gone, like, forever. Can you…"

"We'll see," Riella promised, with a narrow-eyed glare at Simmons. "I cannot make any promises. Bumblebee is my priority at the moment. After I've recovered him, and determined his condition, then we'll see how much negotiation I am still willing to do with these _agents_."

Banachek flinched. It was more satisfying than it should have been.


End file.
